Over 400 million yen? From French house to 12th century religious painting, auction

A religious painting by Cimabue, a large medieval Italian painter, was found in a private house in Northern France. It is worth 4 million to 6 million euros (470 million yen to 710 million yen) and will be auctioned. AFP communication reported on the 23rd.

According to the newsletter, the painting is titled “Christ who is ridiculed” and depicts the situation in which Christ is surrounded by a crowd. One of the eight works by Cimabue on the subject of Christ's Passion, the other two are stored in museums in London and New York.

An elderly woman who lived between the kitchen and the reception in the private house contacted the auction house. As a result of the appraisal, it was found to be due to Cimabue who was active in the latter half of the 12th century. The woman's family has long been considered a mere religious painting and does not know how it was decorated on the wall. (Paris = Tadaaki Hamada)