Woman Discovers Medieval Painting Worth Millions Of Dollars In Her Kitchen

Oct 22, 2019 by apost team

There are certain things you expect to find when cleaning your kitchen. Maybe that expensive bottle of seasoning that you misplaced last summer, or a recipe you cut out of a magazine. Earlier this month, however, an elderly woman in France found a true treasure when she was conducting her routine housework.

The lady, who lives in Compiegne, found a priceless medieval painting when she was reorganizing her kitchen. The painting was small, only 11 inches by 8 inches, but the woman was unaware of how rare it might be and if it might be worth something, so she brought it to an appraiser, Eric Turquin. After doing some research, Turquin determined that the painting was made by Cenni de Pepo, a 13th Century Italian artist who also went by the name Cimabue. Turquin explained to the woman that her painting, which is made of wood, was part of a set of paintings called a polyptych and estimated its value at $4-$6 million USD.

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In an interview with The Art Newspaper, Turquin explained that the painting is entitled “Christ Mocked” and was part of a polyptych telling the story of Christ’s Crucifixion. In confirming the piece as authentic, Turquin said that he was aided by wood-eating bugs. Turquin explained to reporters that the bugs leave a distinct type of tunnel as they move through a piece of wood. The tunnels on the woman’s “Christ Mocked” matched the tunnels found in other wood paintings by Cimabue.

Cimabue lived from 1240 to 1302 and is one of the most famous artists of the Middle Ages and is known as the grandfather of Western painting. Cimabue was also the teacher of Giotto, an important artist in the early Renaissance, and his works are displayed in many of the most prominent museums in the world, notably the Louvre. The Acteon Auction House in Senlis, France, will auction off the painting on October 27. The elderly owner, whose name is being withheld from the media, is expected to make as much as $7 million USD from the sale of the piece according to The Washington Post.

What do you think of how the elderly lady in France found a medieval painting worth millions when she was conducting routine housework? Have you ever found anything valuable in your home left by former owners?