October 28, 2019

Andrew Campbell 

Philomène Wolf, an auctioneer, spotted a masterpiece, attributed to the 13th-century Italian Renaissance painter Cimabue while inspecting an elderly woman’s kitchen in her Compiegne house of northern France last month. Cimabue, also known as Cenni di Pepo, was born in Florence and regarded as the forefather of the Italian Renaissance. Cimabue transformed the Byzantine style of the Middle Ages to the naturalistic art of the Renaissance.

In the beginning, Dominique Le Coent of Acteon Auction House expected its sale price ranged from 4 million to 6 million euros (US$4.4 million to 6.6 million). But since Cimabue’s paintings were never on sale before, nothing could be taken as a reference. Finally, it was sold for 24 million euros (US$26.6 million) on October 27.

The painting, titled “Christ Mocked”, measures at a size of 10 inches by 8 inches (24 by 20 centimeters). Art experts believed Cimabue painted it in around 1280. Two other paintings of  the same polyptych—a panel painting divided into sections—are known as “The Virgin and Child” in the National Gallery in London and “Two Angels and The Flagellation of Christ” in the Frick Collection in New York. These paintings mainly 
depict Christ's passion and crucifixion.

This painting has now set a world record and ranks among the most expensive masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens.

Photo:Webshot.