Long-lost Rubens found in Paris mansion sells for €3M
After being hidden for centuries, a crucifixion painting by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens sold for €2.9 million on Sunday, following its rediscovery in a Paris mansion last year.
"Christ on the Cross" went under the hammer at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleu just outside Paris, where it topped an estimate of €1 million to €2 million, News.Az reports, citing the RFI.
Excluding fees, the winning bid was €2.3 million.
Painted by Rubens around 1620, the work was found by the head of the auction house in September 2024 among belongings at a private mansion on the Left Bank.
"It was painted by Rubens at the height of his talent," Jean-Pierre Osenat told AFP news agency, calling the painting "a masterpiece".
"It's the very beginning of Baroque painting, depicting a crucified Christ, isolated, luminous and standing out vividly against a dark and threatening sky," he said.
The auctioneer compared the discovery to "finding the Mona Lisa".
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