The original owner, who was 90 years old and had moved into a nursing home, was not satisfied with the windfall and died two days after the auction.
The Louvre has bought a 13th-century painting for 24 million euros that is about to be thrown into a landfill. The Guardian reported this.
It is known that the canvas was found while cleaning the house of an old French woman. The owner’s family called an expert to see if there was anything of value on the property. Believing that the work could be worth up to 400 thousand euros, the expert sent it to a Parisian art critic, who confirmed that it was a genuine painting by Cimabue.
The painting “Christ mocked” was painted by a Florentine artist in 1280. It is believed to be one of eight panels in a large diptych, five of which have not yet been found.
The Louvre hopes to acquire the painting in 2019 when it is auctioned with an estimated value of €4 million to €6 million. The museum lost the painting when the painting went under the hammer for a record 19.5 million euros, and the total sale price was 24 million euros including commissions.
The French Ministry of Culture immediately declared the work a national treasure and placed a temporary export ban on it, giving the Louvre 30 months to raise the necessary funds to buy it back.
The work of art measures no more than 25 cm by 20 cm and depicts Jesus being mocked by the crowd before his crucifixion. The painting is painted on a dry gold background on a wooden panel with poplar.
Now, the Paris Museum says the Renaissance painting, one of the oldest works in its collection, will be the centerpiece of an exhibition in 2025.
It was previously reported that a painting by Ukrainian artist Ivan Marchuk was sold at Sotheby’s for 76,200 euros.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.