Auctioneer found the Flemish artist’s masterpiece – depicting a crucified Christ – in a Paris mansion as he was preparing for the property to be sold
A long-lost painting by baroque master Peter Paul Rubens has sold at auction in France for €2.3m ($2.7m) – well beyond its asking price.
The work, of Jesus Christ on the cross and painted in 1613, was unearthed by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion last year after being hidden for more than four centuries.
Osenat – whose auction house sold the painting on Sunday against an expected €1-2m – found the canvas as he was preparing the property to be sold.
He said earlier this year the picture was “a masterpiece” that was painted by Rubens when the 17th-century Flemish master was “at the height of his talent”.
