She was found in the kitchen of an elderly French woman's house.
The Louvre bought a 13th-century painting that was about to be thrown into the trash for 24 million euros.
The Guardian writes about this.
The painting “Christ ridiculed” was painted by the Florentine artist Cimabue around 1280. It is believed to be one of eight panels of a large diptych, five of which are still missing.
The painting was heading to the landfill. She was found in the kitchen of an elderly French woman's house while cleaning. The owner's family called an expert to check if there was anything valuable in the house. Believing that the work could be worth up to 400,000 euros, an expert sent it to an art specialist in Paris, who declared that it was the real Cimabue.
In 2019, the Louvre hoped to acquire the painting when it went up for auction, with an estimated value of between 4 and 6 million euros. The museum lost when the hammer fell at a record price of €19.5 million, taking the total sale price including fees to €24 million.
The French Ministry of Culture immediately declared the work a “national treasure” and placed a temporary export ban on the painting, giving the Louvre 30 months to raise the necessary funds to purchase it.
The artwork measures no more than 25 cm by 20 cm and depicts the mockery of Jesus before his crucifixion. It is painted on a dry gold background on a poplar wood panel.
The original owner, who was in her 90s and had moved into a nursing home, was unable to enjoy the sudden success and died two days after the auction.
The Paris museum says the pre-Renaissance painting, now one of the oldest works in its collection, will become the centerpiece of an exhibition in 2025 after a four-year effort to preserve it in France.
Let us remind you that a painting by Pablo Picasso depicting his mistress was recently sold at auction for a record price . This is the second largest amount paid for an artist's work.
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