A French woman hit the jackpot after a 13th-century masterpiece hanging in her kitchen was discovered to be worth millions.
The painting is attributed to the artist Cimabue and is thought to have been done around 1280. The 10-inch-by-8-inch work of art was discovered by an auctioneer who noticed it hanging on the wall between the kitchen and dining room of a woman’s house in Compiègne, according to the Associated Press.
The owner said she thought it had little significance, but after getting it appraised, the wood paining, titled “Christ Mocked,” was determined to likely be part of a diptych by the historic artist. There are noted similarities between the art and two panels of Cimabue’s diptych that are currently hanging in museums in New York and London.
“It’s a major discovery for the history of art,” said Stephane Pinta, an art specialist with Turquin gallery in Paris.
The work of art will be put up for auction on Oct. 27 at the Acteon auction house in France, where an art museum is expected to purchase it for between $4.4 million and $6.5 million.
Pinta said that the painting represents an important moment in the history of art. Cimabue was the teacher of Italian master Giotto and is widely viewed as the forefather of the Italian Renaissance. His art signaled shifts from the Byzantine style of the Middle Ages toward movement and perspective that defined Western painting.
“What’s moving in this painting is the motion that we see in Christ,” Pinta said.
Alexis Ashot, an independent art consultant with auction house Christie’s, said that the discovery was enormous for the art world and proved there are still great works floating around.
“It’s wonderful to be reminded that there are paintings of such major importance that are still out there and still to be discovered,” Ashot said.
