PARIS — For more than four centuries people believed it had vanished. After being discovered in a Paris townhouse, a 17th-century painting by Peter Paul Rubens sold at the Osenat auction house in Versailles for 2.3 million euros ($2.7 million).
Titled Christ on the Cross and completed in 1613, the work disappeared from public view soon after its creation and was known only through engravings. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat uncovered the canvas in September 2024 while preparing a Paris home for sale. He told AFP it was “a masterpiece” and in “very good condition.”
Initially thought to be from one of Rubens’ many workshop productions, Osenat sought authentication. He took the painting to the Centrum Rubenianum in Antwerp. After scientific analysis, German Rubens expert Nils Büttner confirmed the attribution. Büttner recalled calling Osenat to say, “Jean-Pierre, we have a new Rubens!” Microscopic examination of paint layers revealed blue and green pigments consistent with Rubens’ treatment of human skin.
The last recorded owner was 19th-century French academic painter William Bouguereau; the painting then remained in his family’s possession until its recent discovery.
Born in 1577, Rubens was a leading master of the Flemish Baroque, a style noted for dramatic lighting, lifelike realism and meticulous detail.
