A lost painting by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens has been discovered in France. The 1613 painting of Jesus on the cross was found in September 2024 by French auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion. Experts confirmed its authenticity via X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, with German art historian Nils Buttner delivering the news to Osenat. The painting will be offered for sale on November 30. Separately, the National Gallery in London has announced it will begin collecting art made after its long-held 1900 cut-off date, leading to concerns about renewed rivalry with the Tate, as the two institutions had previously maintained an agreement dividing which works went to which collection.
These developments matter because they highlight significant shifts in the art world: the discovery of a major Old Master painting adds a valuable work to the market and art historical record, while the National Gallery's policy change could reshape the landscape of modern art collecting in London, potentially creating institutional tension. The Rubens find underscores the continued importance of provenance research and scientific analysis, while the National Gallery-Tate dynamic reflects broader debates about how museums define their collecting missions and boundaries in an era of increasingly blurred historical periods.