An unknown masterpiece of the famous artist of the XVIII century, Jean-Honore Fragonard, found at the beginning of the year, was sold at auction. This is reported by UPI.
During the auction, the value of the lot reached $ 9.1 million (665 million rubles). This is several times more than experts expected, who estimated the canvas at 1.5-2 million euros (130-173 million rubles). The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
A small oval painting called “The Reading Philosopher” hung on the wall of an apartment inherited by a family from the French department of the Marne. According to the auctioneer Antoine Petit, their relatives have been passing the canvas from generation to generation for about 200 years.
The new owners did not know the author of the painting and decided to show it to specialists. They immediately recognized the characteristic handwriting of the painter, and the last doubts about the authorship were removed by the signature “Fragonard” on the back of the canvas. Apparently, the canvas was painted in 1768-1770.
The French painter and engraver Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) is one of the most famous representatives of the Rococo style. Fragonard’s works sold well until the French Revolution, after which the painter went bankrupt and left Paris. Later, the artist returned to the capital, where he died in 1806 in obscurity and poverty.
In 2013, the “Portrait of Francois-Henri D’arcourt” by Fragonard was sold at auction for $ 27.9 million. All proceeds from the sales were sent to the German branch of the UNICEF Children’s Fund.
