Thomas Cromwell

A portrait supposedly of Thomas Cromwell, "In the manner of Holbein", for sale at Morphets on 5 March 2015, estimated at only £800 to £1,200. Assuming it is contemporary and not a later copy, it should be worth a lot more, as it is of fairly high quality and of a known sitter, and from an age that not so many good English portraits are available any more. UPDATE: sold for £2,800!

It is very close to this drawing, inscribed "Holbein" (but then again, at some time or other every 16th century portrait in England was probably attributed to Holbein). The same kind of collar (but not the scarf), shirt with three buttons, hat, position of the face, ... It is not identical, but it seems unlikely that the two are unrelated. The drawing shows a slightly fatter person, and the eyes are a lot better in the drawing

Above is a portrait supposedly made after the drawing. The only problem is that the drawing and painting are not a portrait of Cromwell, but of George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny. Or is it? The Guardian claims that the drawing shows Thomas Cromwell after all.

To make things even more interesting, in October 2014 the Carnegie Museum presented the above newly discovered painting, a much better quality painting of the Bergavenny portrait than the older circular one. Attributed to Holbein or Workshop, it clearly is the painting after the above drawing.

Which leaves us with some major questions. Is the drawing of Thomas Cromwell or Bergavenny? Is the painting of Cromwell? Is the drawing a preparatory work for the painting? Is the painting original? Is it by Holbein? And what's it worth? Like I said, assuming it is a 16th century work, it should be worth a lot more, even with the damage. The other questions I'll leave to specialists and people with access to the actual works and not just photographs of them.