A remarkable art discovery has emerged from an unlikely place - a Parisian apartment where a previously unknown still life painting by François Boucher (1703-1770) was found entirely by accident. The work, titled "Still Life with Lapwing and Ruff," represents an extraordinary find as it is the first and only still life by Boucher known to have survived to the present day. The painting is estimated to be worth between 100,000 and 150,000 euros and will be auctioned at Drouot on December 12.

The discovery began when auctioneer Brice Pescheteau-Badin was contacted by the children of a man who had died at the age of 101. As part of settling their father's estate, the descendants wanted to sell porcelains and a library from the deceased's apartment. "A still life by François Boucher (1703-1770): this is an event in itself," Pescheteau-Badin celebrated in a press release announcing the September 9 discovery.

The painting's identification came about through pure chance and favorable lighting conditions. Pescheteau-Badin made several visits to the apartment, repeatedly passing by the artwork without realizing what it was. During gloomy weather days and scorching hot days when the apartment was kept dark to maintain coolness, the professional couldn't see clearly enough to identify the piece. However, one July afternoon, sunlight illuminated the painting and revealed Boucher's signature on the still life, he confided to "Connaissance des Arts."

Once the signature was spotted, Pescheteau-Badin enlisted the help of Stéphane Pinta from the Turquin cabinet to study the work more thoroughly. Using the original signature, which is as old as the painting itself, the auctioneer and expert conducted their investigation and analyzed the canvas. Beyond the signature, everything pointed to Boucher's authorship - the characteristic brushwork, the colors used, the rarity of the pigments, and the difficulty of the color gradations all confirmed the attribution.

The painting's journey through time reveals a fascinating family history. "The heirs knew it was an 18th-century painting. It was presented as a French school of the 18th century during a family inventory and had been passed down from generation to generation," Pescheteau-Badin explained. Family tradition tells that the painting, which depicts two bird species emblematic of French hunting, came from an aunt of the deceased's beautiful grandmother, who was married to an art collector named Jacob. Specialists have been able to trace the work's provenance over 120 to 130 years within the same family.

The painting's signature location contributed to it remaining unidentified for so long. "The signature is located in the dark part of the painting - we could have missed seeing it for another 130 years," Pescheteau-Badin noted. Genealogical research is currently underway to confirm the complete provenance chain. The oil on canvas work, measuring 45 x 33.7 cm and dating to around 1745, was expertised by the Turquin cabinet.

"This still life, the only one preserved to date by François Boucher, sheds unprecedented light on the painter's daily discipline," explains Stéphane Pinta. "Far from the gallant compositions for which he is celebrated, it reveals a precise eye, a dense touch, and a fascinating freedom of execution. It's a discreet but fundamental painting that silently redefines the contours of his work." Historical records support the existence of Boucher's still life practice - biographers of the artist wrote that he painted still lifes daily, and his student Johann-Christian von Mannlich testified that he practiced this genre every morning for two hours.

Art historians have long known that Boucher drew significant inspiration from Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a master of still life painting. However, these works were likely considered more anecdotal than his prestigious royal commissions, which may explain why many don't bear the painter's signature. The attribution of "Still Life with Lapwing and Ruff" may help identify other unsigned works of this genre by the artist in the future.

Despite being a major discovery, the painting's relatively modest estimate reflects market realities. In 2019, Boucher's "Triumph of Venus" (1740) sold for approximately 3.9 million euros, setting one of the auction records for the artist's work according to auction house Millon. "The most difficult thing in this adventure was making an estimation," revealed the auctioneer. "Usually, you have to base it on previous sales of similar works, but when there aren't any, you have to rely on your experience, auction prices for new discoveries, and the reality of things."

While the painting represents a tremendous discovery in Boucher's body of work, it was not a prestigious royal commission, and still lifes with birds are not considered the most commercially appealing subject matter. The painting, which is in relatively good condition, will be exhibited on December 11 and 12 at Drouot before the auction. "Never having appeared on the market, unknown to catalogues raisonnés, this work reveals an unknown aspect of the painter and immediately enters the category of collectible pieces," added Pescheteau-Badin. "Its freshness, its subject, its provenance: everything contributes to making it a major discovery for lovers of 18th-century French painting." There is hope that museums such as the Louvre or Cognacq-Jay in Paris might be interested in acquiring this unprecedented work.