Painting at Welsh castle found to be lost Murillo masterpiece

A painting at Penrhyn Castle, Llandygai, Bangor, in North Wales has been found to be a lost masterpiece by Spanish artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo (December 1617 – April 3, 1682). The painting is of Spanish writer Don Ortiz de Zuniga (1636 -  September 3, 1680 ) and has hung in the Welsh castle for 150 years. It was long thought to be a copy but has been verified by Spanish art scholar Benito Navarrete as an original work after he visited north Wales earlier this year. The painting is at present on display at New York's Frick Collection where it joined an exhibition of Murillo's work which is on from November 1, 2017 to February 4, 2018.

Penrhyn Castle was originally a medieval fortified manor house, founded by Ednyfed Fychan. In 1438, Ioan ap Gruffudd fortified the property and the stone castle was founded and a tower house added. The building as it is today is due to work undertaken between about 1822 and 1837 to designs by architect Thomas Hopper. Penrhyn Castle now belongs to the National Trust and is open to the public. It houses one of the finest art collections in Wales, with works by artists such as Canaletto, Richard Wilson, Carl Haag, Perino del Vaga, and Palma Vecchio.