A long-lost painting of Jesus Christ's crucifixion by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, titled *Christ on the Cross* (1613), was discovered in a Parisian mansion by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat last September. The large Baroque work, measuring 42 by 29 inches, was authenticated by German curator and art historian Nils Buttner, chairman of the Centrum Rubenianum, through X-ray imaging and pigment analysis. It will be auctioned by Osenat's auction house in Fontainebleau on November 30, with no estimate yet released.
This discovery matters because it adds a previously unknown work to Rubens's catalogue raisonné, shedding light on his private commissions and his personal religious journey as a Protestant convert to Catholicism. The painting's excellent condition and its likely provenance—once owned by 19th-century French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau—make it a significant find for art historians and collectors, potentially commanding a high price at auction.