(ANSA) - NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 21 - For the first time in about 200 years, a masterpiece by Sir Peter Paul Rubens returns to Belgium before being sold at auction in New York.
This is 'Portrait of a Man as the God Mars' (Portrait of a Man as the God Mars, ca 1620) and will be shown at Sotheby's Brussels.
The UK auction house itself told ANSA.
The work was painted by the Flemish painter in Antwerp, about forty kilometers from the Belgian capital, at the height of his creative process and is also a rarity in his portraiture as the subject is depicted with classical features.
Also according to Sotheby's, it is the only portrait of Rubens painted in this way and reveals the artist's attraction to the classical world.
The portrait is part of the 'Fisch Davidson' collection and will be auctioned next May in New York as part of the 'Modern Evening Auction'.
It is estimated at 20 to 30 million dollars.
After Brussels, the work will go on display in London.
(HANDLE).