An original 13th-century painting by the Italian artist Cimabue found hanging in the kitchen of an older French woman sold for an astonishing $26.8 million at auction. The 8x10 inch panel titled “The Mocking of Christ” was one piece of a set, known as a diptych, and was expected to fetch around $5 million. Cimabue is considered the father of western painting and bridged the gap between the medieval and Renaissance periods of art.
The woman who owned the painting thought it was nothing more than a religious painting and did not realize it had any value. She planned to throw it in the trash when she decided to move. Luckily, an auctioneer she hired to sell her belongings recognized that style and thought it was worth having the painting examined.
While the painting was covered in grime because it was hanging above a hotplate, it was still in excellent condition. They found traces of the original framing and determined that the panel made up the left part of the diptych. Cimabue’s “Flagellation of Christ” is part of the Frick Collection in New York, and the “Madonna and Child Enthroned Between Two Angels” can be viewed in the National Gallery in London.
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