In 2010 the National Gallery in London staged an exhibition devoted to the work of Paul Delaroche, the 19th century French master who created one of the gallery's most popular paintings - "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey." While the show was on, curator Chris Riopelle received a visit from a man who thought he might have discovered a lost work by Delaroche. His name was Neil Wilson and he'd bought the painting in 1989. The exquisitely detailed oil depicts a young woman wearing a crown and performing an act of devotion, flanked by ladies-in-waiting with hands clasped in prayer. The work wasn't signed or attributed so it had gone under the hammer for just a few thousand pounds. But Neil always had a hunch it was something special.
