A 'lost' painting sold last year for £3,500 as the work of a John Constable copycat has been snapped up for a whopping £3.5million after it was revealed to be painted by the celebrated artist himself. Renowned auctioneers Christie's of London thought a fan had painted the study of Salisbury Cathedral in homage to Constable's famous 1831 work, and so valued it at just £500. A collector snapped it up for £3,500 in June 2013 but after taking a closer look they suspected the original artwork had been painted over. London auctioneers Christie's thought a fan had painted the study of Salisbury Cathedral (pictured) in homage to British artist John Constable's famous 1831 work. Christie's sold it for £3,500, but the painting was found to be an original work after the buyer realised it had been painted over
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Painting thought to be the work of a John Constable fan sells for £3.5m
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It was purchased in 2013 for £3,500 after being assessed as not an original
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But after restoration, it was revealed to be one of his preparatory artworks
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After being catalogued by world authority, it was listed at auction for £2m
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It has now sold at a Sotheby's auction to an unnamed bidder for £3.5m
Before the auction a spokesman for Christie's said: 'We are aware that @placeholder's are offering this work as by Constable.