A postcard-sized painting bought as part of a job lot at an auction for $ 46 ( £30 ) and left hidden away in a drawer for a decade has been identified as work by John Constable worth more than $ 390,000 ( £250,000 ) . Robin Darvell bought a cardboard box full of items including the small artwork -- which depicts a rural scene of trees , a bright blue sky and a meadow -- at a sale in Canterbury , southern England more than 10 years ago . Only a faint signature on the back of its gold frame hinted at its origin . But when Darvell passed the painting on to his son Robert , Darvell junior decided to look into the painting 's story , and find out who painted it . Robert Darvell , 45 , director of a film marketing company contacted fakes and forgeries expert Curtis Dowling from British TV show 'Treasure Detectives ' who embarked on a year-long journey , analyzing the paint , canvas and signature to help solve the mystery . Read more : Mystery masterpiece a Rembrandt . `` It 's a bit of a dream come true , '' said Robert . `` I was over the moon but also shocked when I found out what the painting really is . It has n't really sunk in yet . `` It has an emotional value for me . I 'm holding something in my hands that Constable painted , '' Darvell said . `` He 's a very lucky man , '' said art expert Dowling . `` Most people assume it 's too good to be true . '' `` When people buy items at auctions that look like they could be worth something , they still would n't think they 're walking away with a fortune . '' Darvell and Dowling believe Constable painted the work as a gift for his father-in-law . It is thought never to have been on public display before . Read more : Mona Lisa model found in crypt ? `` Rob certainly did n't expect a miracle , '' said Dowling . `` There are so many convincing forged paintings out there that people would first assume it is fake . Such paintings get lost for many reasons and mostly it looks like something but is n't in the end . '' The painting is now tucked away in a bank vault for safe-keeping . Darvell hopes to have it restored before talking to museums to put it on display to the public . John Constable ( 1776 - 1837 ) was an English Romantic painter , famous for his landscapes of the English countryside , particularly scenes of his native Suffolk . Last year , the Constable painting `` The Lock '' became one of the most expensive British paintings ever sold , fetching £22.4m ( $ 34.8 million ) at an auction at Christie 's in London . Read more : Museum discovers 'new ' Van Gogh .
Postcard-sized painting was bought as part of a job lot at auction for $ 46 ( £30 ) Art experts say it is a work by English artist John Constable , worth $ 390,000 ( £250,000 ) Painting is thought never to have been on public display before .