UA work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, found by chance last December, behind a door in a house in northern France, was auctioned for 780,000 euros, in Paris, on March 28, to a Swiss buyer, whose identity is unknown.
Oil painting, dating back to the 16th century. XVII, was acquired by ancestors of that family, who chose to remain anonymous, in 1900.
The current generation used to affectionately call the painting “the Brueghel”, but believed it to be a forgery.
“The family’s ancestors bought the painting as an original, but over the years the true story has been completely lost… Perhaps the family was not necessarily interested in this painting,” said Malo de Lussac, of auction house Daguerre Val de Loire, in Paris, speaking to the Associated Press.
“Yes, they called him Brueghel, but they had no idea that he really was!” he exclaimed.
The piece, identified as ‘L’Avocat du village’, was painted between 1615 and 1617, representing a law firm in a rural setting. At 112 centimeters high and 184 centimeters wide, this work will be one of the largest by Brueghel the Younger.
The discovery of four was made by de Lussac himself, during an assessment of the family home. “I entered a small living room, which had little light. I started making my estimates, and when I turned around, two-thirds of the painting was visible behind the door. And that’s when I discovered the play. It was a surprise,” he recalled.
This will have been “the greatest moment” of the auctioneer’s career, which, even so, assumed to have been “cautious”. “It is, after all, rare to find a Brueghel in a living room,” he added.
Born in Brussels in 1564, Brueghel was the eldest son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, one of the most important figures of the Renaissance.
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