A painting by Peter Paul Rubens that had been missing for over 400 years was sold at auction for nearly three million euros ($3.1 million) including fees on Sunday in Versailles. The work, titled "Christ on the Cross," was estimated to sell for between one and two million euros but ultimately fetched exactly 2.94 million euros at the Osenat auction house.
The remarkable discovery of this lost masterpiece occurred in September 2024 when an auctioneer found the painting during an inventory and sale of a private mansion in Paris's 6th arrondissement. The canvas, measuring 41.5 by 28.5 inches, depicts Christ crucified in isolation, luminous against a dark and threatening sky. According to its discoverer, the work represents "the very beginning of Baroque painting."
Jean-Pierre Osenat, the auctioneer who made the discovery, described finding such a lost work as an "extremely rare" event. The painting holds special significance as it represents "a true profession of faith and a favorite subject for Rubens, a Protestant who converted to Catholicism," Osenat explained in September. While Rubens created numerous paintings for the Church, this masterpiece was likely intended for a private collector rather than religious purposes.
Rubens depicted Christ dead on the cross on at least three other occasions, with the most famous example housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The painting sold at auction was "painted by Rubens at the height of his talent and authenticated by Professor Nils Büttner," according to Osenat. Büttner is a specialist in German, Flemish, and Dutch art from the 15th to 16th centuries and serves as president of the Rubenianum, an organization located in Antwerp near Rubens' former workshop-home that is dedicated to studying his work.
The authentication process involved extensive investigation using high-resolution photographs, pigment analysis, technical imaging, and microscopic examination. The painting's provenance was traced back through an engraving, leading researchers through a complex historical trail. The work was acquired by either 19th-century academic painter William Bouguereau (1825-1905) or his daughter Henriette Vincens-Bouguereau (1857-1913).
Both Bouguereau and his daughter "may have been aware" of the importance of such a work, but "they did not share this knowledge," according to the press release. The painting remained in William Bouguereau's private mansion-workshop in Paris's 6th arrondissement and stayed within the family for generations. The family only recently decided to sell the masterpiece, leading to its rediscovery and subsequent auction. This sale represents not only a significant financial transaction but also the return of an important piece of art history to public knowledge after more than four centuries of obscurity.
