A long-lost painting by Flemish baroque master Peter Paul Rubens has sold at auction in France for €2.3m (£1.9m), well above its pre-sale estimate. The work, depicting a crucified Christ and painted in 1613, was discovered by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion last year.
Osenat found the canvas while preparing the property for sale. He described the painting as “a masterpiece” created when Rubens was “at the height of his talent”. The total price rose to €2.94m after fees including a buyer’s premium.
Little was known of the painting, only that a contemporary of Rubens had made an engraving of it. It was later bought by 19th-century French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau and passed down through his family. German art historian Nils Büttner authenticated the work using X-ray imaging and pigment analysis.
Büttner noted that while Rubens often painted crucifixions, this is the only one showing “blood and water coming out of the side wound of Christ”. Measuring 105.5 by 72.5 cm, the painting was likely created for a private collector.
