Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller has identified a previously unattributed oil-on-paper study as a work by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, titled "Bearded old man, looking down to his left" (ca. 1609). Muller purchased the piece for under €100,000 at a lesser-known northern European auction house three years ago, where it was listed as an unknown artist from the "Flemish school." After recognizing the bearded figure as Saint Thomas from Rubens's "Apostolado Lerma" series at the Prado, Muller commissioned research from art historian Ben van Beneden, former director of Rubenshuis, who confirmed the work's exceptional quality and likely attribution to Rubens. The study also features a ghostly woman's face visible when turned upside down, reflecting Rubens's playful reuse of materials.
This discovery matters because it adds a significant new work to Rubens's oeuvre and highlights the ongoing potential for Old Master attributions in the secondary market. The record for a Rubens study stands at $8.2 million, and Muller plans to bring the piece to the Brafa Art Fair in Brussels, where its value will be determined. The attribution, while strongly supported, remains cautious—van Beneden stopped short of a full endorsement—underscoring the rigorous scholarship required in Old Master connoisseurship. The work also offers insight into Rubens's creative process, as the recycled paper and recurring figure demonstrate his economical and playful approach.