THE proud son of a Brentwood man who snaffled what is believed to be a Rembrandt masterpiece for less than £4.50 in 1962 has confirmed it remains in the family.
Portrait Of An Old Man was acquired by the late Edward "Stowers" Johnson, the controversial art collector from Hutton who said it proved the one hanging in the Louvre was just a copy.
It was the star turn in a £1 million collection, which he amassed on a headmaster's wage over a half a century.
Despite a Turner and a Constable among the ranks, it was the piece by the Dutch master that most attracted Fleet Street, the TV cameras and even the eye of oil baron Sir Paul Getty, who once declared an interest.
Within hours of the Gazette hitting the newstands last Wednesday, barrister Roderick Johnson, QC, the son of the "shoestring millionaire", got in touch to answer our appeal and confirm the artwork was safely at the Johnson family home near Blackmore.
Mr Johnson, 65, says it was even hanging on the staircase until recently, when it got the better of its hook and fell onto the carpet, cracking the glass cover.
The father of five and only child of Stowers and his mother Gwen, said his dad, who died at the age of 86, was a thorn in the stuffy art world's side. "He was seen as a maverick and a threat to the Establishment," he said.
"They didn't like it that somebody outside of their private circle of experts could make discoveries because they liked to keep their expertise within their little club.
"He was also looked at askance by the Establishment art world and his books were critical of the main auction houses and the monopoly of the art world."
Stowers was a fluent Russian speaker, who became a headmaster in Aveley at the age of 29, the youngest in Essex at the time.
He was also an author who wrote on many subjects, including antiques and education.
He was born at home in Dark Lane, Great Warley, in 1908 and lived in a four-bedroom house in Rayleigh Road, Hutton, for 37 years.
At Brentwood School, where his son and some of his grandchildren have since been educated, he shared a classroom with famous zoologist George Cansdale and Sir Hardy Amies, outfitter to the Queen.
He studied at the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth before embarking on a career as a teacher of English literature.
Mr Johnson described his father as a "loving man who was also strict and stern", and who despised injustices of any kind.
His affection for art began as a young boy when he collected coins and became fascinated by the images on them.
"He began going to antique shops a lot and I remember going with my dad and watching him in action," Rod said.
"He would spot something he liked and whisper to me 'this is a good thing, just pretend you are not interested'."
After a moment of feigning enthusiasm for another object, Stowers would then make a half-hearted offer for the piece he really wanted.
Over the decades of trudging up to London antique and auction houses, and making plenty of mistakes along the way, he developed a keen eye for hidden treasures.
"Most of all he liked auctions and he used to say how he never bought from the private individual, he always bought in the cut and thrust if you like," Rod said.
He also revealed how his father, who would restore artefacts to sell them on, had a passion for the craftsmanship of art and design as well as the buying.
When Stowers died of cancer in 1995, he left behind 253 items that he had collected at auctions and on his travels.
The most he ever paid for an item, while amassing the seven-figure collection, was £800 for a bronze, Rape of the Sabines, by Jean de Bologne.
Rod says that achieving modern authentication for his father's biggest pieces including the Rembrandt, is an ongoing matter for him to take care of.
He said: "My dad said 'we will have trouble if we tried to get this authenticated because of the closed ranks of the art world'.
"If it's a genuine Rembrandt then it follows that it would be the archetype of the one in the Louvre or it could be one of several versions painted at the same sitting.
"I would certainly say it would be worth millions of pounds.
"But it's such a huge step to get up to that point, it would have to be scientifically tested, authenticated and so far we have not got anywhere near that.
"I have eventually got to have this investigated at some point."
Despite the anticipated value, Rod has confirmed Old Man is definitely "not for sale".
