She had a pricey piece of history hiding in plain sight.
An elderly woman kept what she thought was an “old religious painting” between the kitchen and sitting room of her apartment in Compiègne, a town in northern France.
When she took it to her local auctioneer for an appraisal on a whim — she was stunned to discover it was in fact a 13th-century artwork by hallowed Florentine painter Cimabue.
Art expert Eric Turquin estimates its value to be between $4.4 and $6.6 million, The Guardian reports.
The artwork, which had long been hanging above a splattering hot plate, is titled “Christ Mocked,” and is part of an eight-scene diptych depicting Christ’s passion and crucifixion.
Other paintings in the series include “The Virgin and Child With Two Angels” and “The Flagellation of Christ,” which hang in London’s National Gallery and New York’s Frick Collection, respectively.
Art expert Stephane Pinta holds the painting.AP“The Virgin and Child Enthroned With Two Angels” was also long lost until a British aristocrat happened to come upon it while cleaning out his estate.
“The painting was done by the same hand,” art expert Turquin tells The Art Newspaper of how he confirmed Cimabue as the painter. “You can follow the tunnels made by the worms,” he says, referring to the tracks created by centuries-old, timber-eating larvae.
“Christ Mocked” is set to hit the block Oct. 27 at an auction house in Senlis, France.
