'A masterpiece': long-lost Rubens painting found in Paris mansion
A painting by the renowned artist Peter Paul Rubens, believed lost since 1613, has been discovered in a Paris mansion, the auction house Osenat announced on Wednesday.
“It is a masterpiece, Christ on the Cross, painted in 1613 and then lost,” said Jean-Pierre Osenat, the auction house’s president, who found the painting in late 2024 while conducting an inventory for a sale in a mansion in Paris.
The painting will be auctioned on 30 November. "This is an extremely rare and incredible discovery that will define my career as an auctioneer," said Osenat.
Beginning of Baroque
Rubens (1577–1640) is widely regarded as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. "This is the very beginning of Baroque," said Osenat of the newly discovered painting.
The work depicts a crucified Christ that is "isolated, luminous, and standing out vividly against a dark and threatening sky". "Behind the rocky, green backdrop of Golgotha, there is a view of Jerusalem, illuminated but apparently under stormy skies," he said.
Private collection
According to the auction house, the work is in very good condition. It was authenticated following extensive research by Nils Büttner, an art historian specialising in Rubens and the chairman of the Centrum Rubenianum in Antwerp.
Rubens painted the work at the height of his talent. Although the artist created many works for the church, this 105.5 x 72.5 cm masterpiece was likely intended for a private collector.
It first belonged to the 19th-century academic painter William Bouguereau, and then to the owners of the Parisian mansion where it was discovered.
An exhibition of works by Peter Paul Rubens at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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