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§ Francis Bacon, 1909-1992, oil on canvas, part of a painting circa 1953/4, painted as a study for a Francis Bacon Pope portrait. The canvas shows typical vertical black stripes as a background. Bacon frequently used a striped background for his portraits during this period. Title of a Lewis Todd painting written in pencil along with "A Francis Bacon Screaming Pope" inscribed verso. On stretchers, the reverse showing a still-life oil painting by Lewis Todd (1925-2006). Height 24", width 18" (additional 3" height and 3" width obscured as canvas nailed to stretchers). PROVENANCE: Part of a Francis Bacon work gifted by John Kesterton of the Heffer Gallery in Cambridge to the local artist Lewis Todd to allow him to use the reverse for his own paintings. This was done on the understanding that the canvases were to be cut up before use for his own work. Bacon always painted on the reverse of his canvases, the gift was made so that the impoverished young artist could made good use of them. Bequeathed direct to the present vendor. This work was inspected and authenticated by the Authentication Committee of the Francis Bacon Catalogue Raisonné in November 2012 A copy of the letter signed by Martin Harrison and confirming this attribution is sold with this work "..no doubt as to their authenticity." This and other authenticated pieces were included in The Bacon Estate sponsored PhD course at Northumbria University in which samples have been analysed. Preliminary results confirm that all pigments and binding medium used are typical of Francis Bacon works of the 1950s and 1960s. h:24 w: 18 in.