Long-lost Rubens painting sells for €2.94 million in France
A rediscovered 1613 Peter Paul Rubens painting has sold for €2.94 million after fees, far exceeding its estimate.
A long-lost 1613 painting by Peter Paul Rubens has been sold at auction in France for €2.3 million, with the final price rising to €2.94 million including fees.
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The work, which depicts Christ on the cross, had remained unseen for more than 400 years until it was found last year by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion.
Experts authenticated the painting using X-ray examinations and pigment analysis, confirming it as a rare composition by Rubens.
The artwork is notable for showing Christ as a dead body on the cross, a subject Rubens portrayed only once, making the piece particularly significant within his early baroque period.
The painting was once owned by the 19th-century French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau, adding another layer of historical interest.
Its rediscovery and subsequent sale have been regarded as a major event in the art world, given both its rarity and its strong provenance.