For more than four centuries, people believed it had vanished.
But after being discovered in a Paris townhouse, a painting from the 17th century Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens sold Sunday at the Osenat auction house in Versailles for 2.3 million euros ($2.7 million).
The painting, titled Christ on the Cross, was completed in 1613 but soon vanished from public view. For centuries, its existence was known only through engravings, printed reproductions made by other artists. Its whereabouts remained a mystery until the auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat uncovered it in September 2024 during a routine inspection of a Paris home he was preparing to sell.
"It is a masterpiece," Osenat told the French wire agency AFP shortly after making the discovery, adding the artwork was in "very good condition."
Still, Osenat had doubts that what he stumbled upon was so uniquely valuable. It was initially believed the piece was produced from one of the many Rubens workshops. The painter had set up a large studio where he collaborated on pieces with a team of assistants.
Yet Osenat says he had a hunch that maybe this piece was not like all other pieces.
"I did everything I could to try and have it authenticated," Osenat told the Associated Press.
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