Centuries-Lost Rubens Found In A Paris Home Sells For An Eye-Watering Sum
VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A long-lost painting Baroque master Peter Paul RubensThis work, kept for more than four centuries, was sold for 2.3 million euros ($2.7 million) at an auction in Versailles on Sunday.
The painting was recently found in a private mansion in Paris.
It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
It was part of a French collection and was initially thought to be one of many. Rubens workshops existed at that time.
The value of the artwork has rarely exceeded 10,000 euros ($11,500).
“I immediately had a hunch about this painting and did everything I could to authenticate it,” auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat told the Associated Press. “And finally we managed to get it authenticated by the Rubenianum, the Rubens committee in Antwerp.”
Nils Büttner, an expert known for his research on Rubens, explained before the auction that the master often painted crucifixions, but rarely depicted “the crucified Christ as a corpse on the cross.”
“So this is the only painting that shows blood and water coming out of Jesus’ side wound, and it’s something Rubens only did once.”
Osenat auction house said the painting’s authenticity and provenance were confirmed after scientific analysis.
Microscopic examination of the paint layers revealed not only white, black and red pigments in the areas representing flesh, but also the blue and green pigments that Rubens typically used to paint human skin.
To a packed house, the painting nearly disappeared in the early 1600s, art expert Eric Turquin said.
It is known that it belonged to the 19th century French classical painter William Bouguereau before it was passed down from generation to generation.
