A long-lost painting has been sold for an eye-popping price.
According to the Associated Press, the piece depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was painted by Flemish Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens and hidden for more than four centuries.
It sold at 2.3 million euros ($2.7 million) at an auction in Versailles on Sunday weeks after it was found in a private townhouse in Paris.
It was known to have belonged to 19th-century French classic painter William Bouguereau before it was passed down in the family, according to Art expert Eric Turquin
“I immediately had a hunch about this painting, and I did everything I could to try to have it authenticated,” auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat told The Associated Press. “And finally, we managed to have it authenticated by the Rubenianum, which is the Rubens committee in Antwerp.”
Nils Büttner, an expert known for his research on Rubens, told the Associated Press that the painting is rare because Rubens, who often painted crucifixions, rarely depicted “the crucified Christ as a dead body on the cross.”
“So, this is the one and only painting showing blood and water coming out of the side wound of Christ, and this is something that Rubens only painted once,” he said.
The Osenat auction house said the painting’s authenticity and origin were confirmed after scientific analysis, including a microscopic examination of the paint layers.
Specifically, the paint layers revealed not only white, black and red pigments in the parts representing flesh, but also blue and green pigments, which is typical in Rubens’ depictions of human skin, the auction house said.