It is a painting that remained in the same family for a century near Saint-Étienne (Loire). A painting without a signature that the owners knew nothing about until they decided to have it appraised at an auction house. And there, surprise… they discover that the painting in question is an authentic canvas by a Dutch painter, Hendrick Ter Brugghen.
Long forgotten, the artist has seen his popularity rise in recent years thanks to the rediscovery of Caravagism, a pictorial movement of the first half of the 17th century. Ter Brugghen painted this painting entitled “Esau Selling His Birthright,” depicting a scene from the Old Testament, in 1627.
An English collector won the prize
“The owners thought it had a little value,” says Me Agnès Carlier, auctioneer at Ivoire Saint-Étienne – Marais auction house. When she told them an estimate of 200 – 250,000 euros, they jumped. “I said to myself that the auction could perhaps rise to 400,000 euros because there weren’t many paintings during that period. »
A specialist was dispatched from Paris to authenticate the work. The sale took place Thursday, December 5 in Saint-Étienne. Buyers from all over Europe decided to bid, aware of the exceptional nature of the painting which measures 1.21m by 1.61m.
Finally, after a fierce fight which lasted twenty minutes, it was an English collector who won, before the final blow of the hammer. Amount of the transaction: 1.437 million euros (sale costs included). Me Carlier is over the moon: “We, the auctioneers, are like gold miners. We sift a lot and sometimes we come across nuggets. »
