A chance find in a charity shop could turn out to be more than just a pretty piece for a bargain hunter, who believes he may have found a Picasso.

Graham Duncan bought an oil painting in the new Relief for Romania charity shop on York Road, Twickenham, and is appealing for the person who donated it to come forward.

Mr Duncan said: "I will split any profits between myself, the donor and the charity three ways - a third share for each of us."

Nearly three weeks ago, Mr Duncan, a draftsman for Richmond upon Thames Council, took a shine to the painting on a visit to the shop and paid £5 for it: "I like finding art and books in charity shops. I'm no art specialist but I quite liked the colours on this one."

Noticing the painting was signed "Picasso", Mr Duncan's girlfriend researched it on the internet and found that it featured on archivist's websites. "I wrote to an art gallery who put me in touch with Claude Picasso, the son of Pablo, who will look at specialist photographs that I am going to have taken.

"Picasso was a prolific painter, so if it is genuine, it could be worth £1,000, £10,000 or even £100,000," he said.

Mr Duncan needs to track down the original owner of the painting to help with the verification process.

He said: "I need to know details about where it was first bought."

Did you donate the 5x2ft oil painting to the Relief for Romania charity shop?

If so, contact Graham Duncan at g.duncan@richmond.gov.uk or call the Richmond and Twickenham Times on 020 8939 1546.