Long-lost Italian masterpiece sold for US$26.6 million after being found covered in grime in French kitchen
- Christ Mocked, by Italian early Renaissance artist Cimabue, fetched five times the initial estimate
- Painting was originally displayed right above a cooking hotplate
A rare masterpiece by Italian early Renaissance master Cimabue that was discovered in a French kitchen was sold on Sunday for €24 million (US$26.6 million), about five times the initial estimate.
The Acteon auction house did not identify the winning bidder for the painting, Christ Mocked, at the sale in Senlis, outside Paris.
The selling price, which included fees, smashed the initial estimate of between €4 million and €6 million.
It is the first time in decades that a painting by Cimabue, who lived from 1272-1302 and is also known as Cenni di Pepo, has gone under the hammer.
Acteon said in a statement that the figure was the highest ever reached for a medieval painting and the seventh highest ever reached for a medieval or old master painting.