Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion of Jesus Christ sells for $2.7 million

A long-lost painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, which was hidden for more than four centuries, sold for $2.7 million at an auction Sunday in Versailles.

The painting was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

It was part of a French collection and was initially thought to be from one of the many Rubens workshops that existed at the time. The artwork was rarely valued at more than $11,500.

“I immediately had a hunch about this painting, and I did everything I could to try to have it authenticated,” auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat told The Associated Press. “And finally, we managed to have it authenticated by the Rubenianum, which is the Rubens committee in Antwerp.”

Osenat told AFP earlier this year the picture was “a masterpiece” which was painted by Rubens when he was “at the height of his talent.”

The painting was authenticated by German art historian Nils Buttner, known for his research on the master of the Flemish Baroque, Osenat said. Its provenance was certified through methods including X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, he added.

Büttner explained before the auction that the master often painted crucifixions but rarely depicted “the crucified Christ as a dead body on the cross.”

“So this is the one and only painting showing blood and water coming out of the side wound of Christ, and this is something that Rubens only painted once.”

The Osenat auction house said the painting’s authenticity and provenance were confirmed after scientific analysis. It said microscopic examination of the paint layers revealed not only white, black, and red pigments in the areas representing flesh, but also blue and green pigments Rubens typically used in painting human skin.

Art expert Eric Turquin told a packed house the painting had virtually disappeared in the early 1600s. It is known to have belonged to 19th-century French classic painter William Bouguereau before it was passed down in the family.

Although Rubens produced many works for the Church, the painting, measuring 42 by 29 inches, was likely to have been created for a private collector.

A flurry of paintings by famous artists have sold at auctions in recent days.

Last week, a previously unknown work by French impressionist painter Auguste Renoir of his toddler son Jean sold for $2.08 million at a Paris auction.

Also in November, a self-portrait by celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for $54.66 million in New York, a record for a painting by a woman. Two nights before that, a Gustav Klimt canvas fetched $236.4 million — a record for a modern art piece.