Seated Man in a Landscape, by Richmond Barthé. Photograph: National Trust

National Trust recognizes Seated Man in a Landscape's sitter as sculptor's housekeeper

A neglected oil painting that was long believed to be the creation of an unidentified artist has been revealed to be a creation of renowned African American sculptor Richmond Barthé.

Lucian Levers, Barthé's domestic worker at the artist's studio and house in Jamaica, has also been identified as the subject of Seated Man in a Landscape. Black sitters in old photographs seldom have their identities revealed, mostly due to a dearth of supporting evidence.

To commemorate Black History Month, the artwork will be put on public exhibition for the first time on Thursday at Belton Home, a Grade I-listed country house in Lincolnshire that is now managed by the National Trust.

Richmond Barthé. Photograph: Carl Van Vechten Trust

Mid-20th-century image of Levers by Barthé was most likely either presented to or purchased by Peregrine Cust, the 6th Baron Brownlow, who also had a residence in Jamaica and Belton House.

The trust reexamined it as part of an initiative to analyze works within its care that feature black people or that might be linked to slavery or colonialism.

It was intriguing since it was autographed and one of the rare paintings depicting an independent black sitter. Alice Rylance-Watson, an assistant curator at the trust, remarked, "It caught my curiosity.

The trust's catalogs had the signature incorrectly transcribed. Rylance-Watson quickly changed the attribution to Barthé when she had the opportunity to view the picture in person last fall. She stated it was an exciting time.

Levers' identification was made easier by Margaret Rose Vendryes' 2008 Barthé monograph, which included a picture of the artist's domestic worker.

Levers reportedly became Barthé's favorite model and appeared in a number of his paintings and sculptures, according to Rylance-Watson. For the first time, the historical record has been updated to publicly recognise both the maker and the sitter of Seated Man.

In 1901, Barthé was born in Mississippi. At age 14, he quit school to work as a handyman and domestic worker, sketching in his leisure time. His neighborhood gathered money so that he could enroll in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of only two art institutions that at the time welcomed black students.

He majored in painting but eventually became a successful sculptor. He relocated to Jamaica in the late 1940s, where he spent around 20 years. He struggled to sell his paintings and often destroyed or donated them. He passed away in 1989 in California.

Barthé paintings are scarce, both in public and private collections. "Seated Man is actually quite uncommon," remarked Rylance-Watson.

Specialist conservators worked on the artwork before it was put on exhibit. The paint suffered abrasions and losses, a portion of the outside frame was missing, and a tiny part had been overpainted.

Along with the painting, the National Trust will show a film in which modern black artists, such as Eugene Ankomah and Quilla Constance, discuss Barthé's impact and legacy.

Thanks to Harriet Sherwood  at The Guardian whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.