A Painting Discarded During House Cleaning Turned Out to Be Worth 33.4 Billion Won... Exhibited at the Louvre Museum

Jesus Painting Hanging in a Home Kitchen
Identified as a 13th Century Italian Masterpiece

A painting that was nearly discarded in a French household has been revealed to be a 13th-century masterpiece worth 24 million euros (approximately 33.4 billion KRW). The artwork is scheduled to be exhibited at the Louvre Museum in the future.

According to the British daily The Times on the 7th (local time), "Christ Mocked," believed to have been completed in 1280 by Renaissance-era Italian painter Giovanni Cimabue (1240?1302), narrowly escaped being thrown away four years ago in an ordinary household.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

A woman in her 90s, who came across the painting while tidying up her home, initially intended to discard it but decided to have it appraised by an auctioneer. The appraisal revealed that the piece was one of only 15 works completed by Cimabue during his lifetime. The woman had simply thought the painting was an old family religious icon and had hung it in her kitchen and living room.

"Christ Mocked" was later put up for auction and sold for 24 million euros to Chilean billionaire Alvaro Saieh Bendeck and his wife. However, the French government designated the painting as a national treasure, prohibiting its export abroad. Additionally, the Louvre Museum was granted a 30-month period to purchase the artwork.

The Louvre Museum recently completed the transaction with the painting's owner and announced plans to exhibit the piece starting in 2025. The museum has not disclosed how much was spent on the artwork or the exact details of the transaction.

Measuring 20 cm in width and 26 cm in height, the painting is part of a wooden panel icon painted by Cimabue in 1280 depicting eight scenes of Jesus' Passion and crucifixion. It portrays Jesus surrounded by people mocking him.

Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre Museum, stated that the painting will be "a major landmark in art history" and expressed the museum's "great joy" in acquiring it.

Meanwhile, Cimabue was a Renaissance painter active in Florence, Italy, who inherited the traditions of Byzantine art and is known as a mentor to Florentine painters. Art historians believe that Cimabue painted only about ten wooden panel icons. He did not leave his signature on his paintings.