![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
28-03-2023, 07:03 PM
Kim Willsher in Paris
Wed 8 Mar 2023 14.55 GMT
A rare painting by the 17th-century artist Pieter Brueghel the Younger, described as “exceptional” and one of his largest known works, will be sold by auction in Paris later this month.
The painting was discovered hanging behind a door at a home in the north of France. It had been in the same family since 1900 but its provenance before then remains a mystery.
The work – measuring 112cm high and 184cm wide, and valued at up to €800,000 (£713,000) – is a version of L’Avocat du village (the Village Lawyer), a theme Brueghel reproduced up to 90 times. It is believed to have been painted between 1615 and 1617.
Malo de Lussac of the auctioneers Daguerre Val de Loire, who found the painting during an estimation visit requested by the family, who wish to remain anonymous, said he could hardly believe what he had stumbled across.
“In the family it was known as ‘the Brueghel’ but they had no idea it was a real one. They thought it was a copy; just a bit of decoration that wasn’t worth very much,” De Lussac said.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...rench-home
Wed 8 Mar 2023 14.55 GMT
A rare painting by the 17th-century artist Pieter Brueghel the Younger, described as “exceptional” and one of his largest known works, will be sold by auction in Paris later this month.
The painting was discovered hanging behind a door at a home in the north of France. It had been in the same family since 1900 but its provenance before then remains a mystery.
The work – measuring 112cm high and 184cm wide, and valued at up to €800,000 (£713,000) – is a version of L’Avocat du village (the Village Lawyer), a theme Brueghel reproduced up to 90 times. It is believed to have been painted between 1615 and 1617.
Malo de Lussac of the auctioneers Daguerre Val de Loire, who found the painting during an estimation visit requested by the family, who wish to remain anonymous, said he could hardly believe what he had stumbled across.
“In the family it was known as ‘the Brueghel’ but they had no idea it was a real one. They thought it was a copy; just a bit of decoration that wasn’t worth very much,” De Lussac said.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...rench-home
