Louvre Gets Almost Trashed €24m National Treasure
A 13th-century painting, once hanging in a kitchen and almost binned by its owner, was recently acquired by the Louvre.
Four years ago, a lady in her nineties almost binned an assumed worthless Russian icon hanging in her kitchen. The painting, Christ Mocked by the Italian master, Cimabue, was saved from the lady’s house before clearance by an auctioneer who had come to assess its contents.
The auctioneer, Philomène Wolf, told Le Parisien in September 2019, “I had a week to give an expert view on the house contents and empty it.” She said, “I had to make room in my schedule … if I didn’t, then everything was due to go to the dump.”
The artwork is small, measuring 8in by 10in (20 by 26cm). Despite this, in 2019, the 13th-century painting was reportedly bought for €24m by Cicilean billionaires, an economist and architect.
Auctioneer Dominique Le Coent told Reuters news agency, “When a unique work of a painter as rare as Cimabue comes to market, you have to be ready for surprises.”
President Macron’s government refused an export license for the buyers, so they never got to place the painting in their collection.
The auction significantly raised the icon’s profile, previously hanging above a stove in southern France. The woman who owned it said she didn’t know where it had come from or how long it had been there.
“a crucial landmark in the history of art”
French ministers announced the artwork as a national treasure. Following the auction, they gave the Louvre a 30-month deadline for raising funds and buying it.
The owners and Paris Museum recently agreed on a deal, giving the Louvre possession.
The Louvre’s president said acquiring the icon “constitutes a crucial landmark in the history of art” and is a “great joy.” The museum said they would be exhibiting the painting in 2025.
Experts believe Cimabue produced Christ Mocked in 1280. Scientists gathered this conclusion using technology to date the painting and confirm Cimabue made it.
Art historians widely view Cimabue as a Renaissance forefather. Byzantine art influenced his work; he painted on popular wooden boards, creating gold paint backgrounds.
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