A long-lost painting by Peter Paul Rubens, unseen for four centuries, was sold at auction in Versailles for €2.94 million ($3.4 million), nearly double its high estimate. Created in 1613, the work depicts Jesus Christ on the cross and was discovered in a private Paris townhouse by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat. The painting was authenticated by German art historian Nils Büttner through X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, and its provenance traces back to the 19th-century French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
This sale matters because it represents the rediscovery and authentication of a major work by one of the most important Baroque masters, filling a gap in Rubens's known oeuvre. The painting's dramatic price exceeding its estimate underscores the enduring market demand for Old Master works with strong provenance and scholarly validation. It also highlights the role of auction houses and specialists in uncovering lost masterpieces from private collections.