BBC Antiques Roadshow Fiona Bruce's surprise item discovery sparked record-breaking profit

Since its inception in 1979, the Antiques Roadshow team has discovered numerous hidden treasures tucked away in the attics, garages and secret corners of British homes.

One such remarkable find was made by Fiona Bruce in 2013 when she identified an original piece by renowned Baroque painter Anthony van Dyck, dating back nearly 400 years.

While working on a separate programme about the Belgian-born artist, she noticed a strikingly familiar detail on an Antiques Roadshow item.

This observation sparked a lengthy investigation that eventually revealed astonishing news. Father Jamie MacLeod initially purchased the painting by Anthony van Dyck for £400 from an antiques shop in 1992, unaware of the secrets it concealed.

Despite the artist's name being inscribed on the wooden frame of the artwork, there were questions regarding its authenticity and whether it held more than met the eye.

The portrait depicted a Renaissance nobleman adorned with a white ruff around his neck, sporting neatly groomed facial hair, gazing into the distance.

When Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce came across the piece, she recognised a peculiar characteristic of the painting, having extensively studied Van Dyck's works for weeks.

She remarked: "When I saw this something about the eyes and the way you can see the bone under the nose here it just looked similar to the kind of paintings I'd been looking at, so I thought, 'Who knows, it could be?'"

BBC art connoisseur Phillip Mould chimed in with: "It's as off-piste as you get but if this is to be by Van Dyck there's only one way of finding out."

"The question is, are you prepared to commission a process of cleaning and restoration, by which paint is radically removed but later could reveal what I hope could be an original work beneath."

The Derbyshire clergyman was visibly elated as he consented to an extensive three-month restoration and authentication journey that ultimately revealed "17th Century brushstrokes beneath" the surface layer of the artwork.

After a meticulous procedure involving the delicate removal of overpaint with a cotton swab and solvent, the piece was said to have experienced "quite the transformation".

The painting's authenticity was confirmed by the preeminent Van Dyck authority Dr Christopher Brown, who corroborated their initial suspicions.

Father MacLeod could barely contain his joy and said in utter disbelief: "I'm just completely in shock" after learning that the painting he had purchased for £400 was now valued at an astonishing £400,000 - a staggering 1000 percent increase.

He disclosed his intentions to use the money to fit new bells in his Derbyshire chapel as a tribute to the soldiers who fell in World War 1, aiming to have them installed by 2018.

Reflecting on the reason behind this gesture, he remarked: "I would like this country to be able to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War and I think that as a nation we owe that to the people who gave their lives."

However, the narrative took a sombre turn when the once-forgotten masterpiece went up for auction at Christie's in July 2014.

One of the specialists at the auction house was thrilled with the piece being part of their collection, offering an even loftier appraisal, believing it could fetch as much as £500,000.

Despite the whirlwind of anticipation and enthusiasm the hammer fell to silence as the promising Van Dyck piece failed to attract even a single offer.