A ‘devil-like figure’ hidden for more than 230 years in a painting by the renowned artist Joshua Reynolds has resurfaced after recent restoration work by the National Trust.
Labeled a ‘fiend’ and considered controversial in its time, this evil spirit or demon was concealed under layers of paint and varnish in Reynolds’ depiction of a Shakespearean death scene, titled ‘The Death of Cardinal Beaufort.’
The painting captures a powerful moment from Shakespeare’s ‘Henry VI, Part 2,’ with the king witnessing Cardinal Beaufort’s demise.
