Thomas Gainsborough's early sketches found at Windsor Castle

Originally the landscape drawings were attributed to a different artist but have only been recently verified to belong to him after careful study by a historian

One of the early Thomas Gainsborough sketches discovered at Windsor Castle. Courtesy Royal Collection Trust /  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017
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In a stunning discovery at Windsor Castle in England, an album of drawings have been discovered from the 18th century painter Thomas Gainsborough.

Originally the landscape drawings were attributed to a different artist, but they have just recently been verified to belong to him after careful study by historian Lindsay Stainton.

Stainton compared one of the sketches, which was found to be a squared-up study for an earlier painting titled Cornard Wood.

The drawings were stored in a large album (which were mis-attributed) titled Sketches by Sir E Landseer in the Print Room at Windsor Castle.

"We're very much convinced that these are an important group of early drawings by Thomas Gainsborough," says Rosie Razzall, curator of prints and drawings at the Royal Library, in an interview with the BBC.

"It's an extremely significant discovery. It means we are able to re-appraise the early work of Gainsborough."

For more, go to www.royalcollection.org.uk