Appeal to solve mansion's butler painting mystery

Relatives of a butler who worked at a country house in South Yorkshire are hoping to solve the mystery of an unknown artist who captured him on canvas.

William Denton worked as a butler at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham and was immortalised in an oil painting during the 1850s, with the work later stored in an attic for decades.

The artist left their mark on a cork in a wine bottle in the painting, but efforts to work out their identity have drawn a blank.

Don Rose, Denton's great-great-grandson, said: "We took it to Sheffield's Weston Park Museum and they told us it wasn't valuable and may have been done by a visiting artist. But it's valuable to us. It's part of our family's history."

The painting of Denton forms part of a new Wentworth Woodhouse exhibition called Echoes of the House: Stories in Light and Motion.

Many of the exhibits came from an appeal to the local community for items that would help reveal the house's history, beyond the lives of its wealthy residents.

Denton was born in 1801 and moved from a teenage boot boy to eventually becoming a butler to the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam.

By 1857, William was earning £35 a year as a butler, according to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, and died in 1874.

Rose, 85, said: "My dad, Harry Denton Rose, inherited it from his mum. But my mum was scared by it – she said she felt William's eyes followed her around the room and insisted it went in the attic.

"When it came to me, I had it cleaned and framed and hung on the landing."

Although it was commonplace for wealthy families to have such paintings done of themselves, a portrait of a butler was more unusual.

Sheryl Hadfield, Denton's great-great-great granddaughter, said: "Could he afford to pay for the painting?

"Or did an amateur artist paint him for free because he had an interesting face?

"We may never known, but we are so glad we have it. When I look into William's face, I see a resemblance to my grandfather and my dad."

The wider exhibition features old cinematic devices – from zoetropes to magic lanterns – with contemporary art installations.

It runs from Tuesday until 8 November.

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