A woman has made what could be a discovery of a lifetime and a historical treasure that was thought to be lost.
Mary Beard, a professor, believes that she has found a tapestry commissioned by Henry VIII in of all places, a rug shop in New York, the Telegraph reported.
Beard found the large woven hanging at Persian Gallery, a store that sells antique carpets in midtown Manhattan.
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The University of Cambridge professor was researching how European art showed Roman emperors centuries after conquest. She simply Googled 'Caesar tapestry' and found a photo of the tapestry for sale, The Times reported.
Other experts say the tapestry, which shows Caesar crossing the Rubicon, is the real deal, the Telegraph reported.
If it is determined to be authentic and not a copy, it could be priceless.
More than a century after Henry died, the entire set was valued at more than 5,000 British pounds sterling in 1649. Now the one discovered at the rug shop is valued at $50,000, or 40,000 pounds sterling, The Times reported.
If the fabric is proven to one of the famed tapestries, it could be returned to Hampton Court, the palace where the panels were displayed.
Then entire commission originally consisted of 10 fabric panels that measured 9 feet high and 25 feet long.
There are three generations of copies, but experts haven't seen Henry's set, which are believed to be the original, since 1819.
The one found in New York was apparently in the Smithsonian's collection, but was auctioned 15 years ago. A dealer bought it, planning to sell it to dotcom billionaires, but those plans didn't come to fruition.
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