Overview

• Print expert Alexandra Gill examined the family-owned depiction of Hamlet’s Ophelia and called it a “conundrum” for its 19th-century look by a 20th-century hand.
• She attributed it to Frank Cadogan Cowper, often described as the last of the Pre-Raphaelites, highlighting its literary focus and period style.
• Symbolic touches noted by the expert included beads and a reflected spinning wheel intended to carry narrative meaning.
• Gill gave a conditional auction estimate of £12,000 to £18,000, contingent on the painting’s condition.
• The owner said her great-grandmother bought the work in the UK before taking it to the United States, and the episode is available on BBC iPlayer following its September 21 broadcast.