It was thought to be lost for more than 400 years. But then in 2024, French auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat uncovered the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens’ “Christ on the Cross” during an inspection of a Parisian mansion.
The painting sold for $2.7 million Sunday in Versailles.
"It is a masterpiece," Osenat told AFP. "It was painted by Rubens at the height of his talent.”
German art historian Nils Buttner, an expert on Rubens, authenticated the work using X-ray imaging and pigment analysis.
Osenat described pacing back and forth while awaiting the news of the authenticity of the painting in an interview with AFP. Then Buttner called and exclaimed, "Jean-Pierre, we have a new Rubens!"
"It's the very beginning of Baroque painting, depicting a crucified Christ, isolated, luminous and standing out vividly against a dark and threatening sky," Osenat said.
The work's provenance has been traced back to the French painter and academic William-Adolphe Bouguereau and then to the owners of the mansion where it was found.
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Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.