Cobbe turned for help to his friend Wells, the Shakespeare scholar, and the two arranged to have the portrait tested. 科布拒绝帮助他的朋友油井，莎士比亚的学者，和两个安排已经画像测试。
But the experts in London said they were sure from their study of the Cobbe portrait that it was the original from which the other portraits were based. 然而基金会的代表们却相信而不管肖像的来源是南安普敦伯爵实际上曾经他本人所拥有的还是他委托给科布的。
