Rare painting found behind a door sold for €600k at auction in France

A rare painting discovered by chance during a routine inventory check at a French home has fetched €600,000 at auction.

The piece was painted by Pieter Brueghel the Younger - son of the master Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder - around 1615.

It was stumbled upon at a home in Amboise (Indre-et-Loire) near Tours.

An unnamed Swiss buyer bought the piece at an auction in Paris on Tuesday (March 28), although it’s unclear whether the purchase was for a museum or a private collection.

Despite its previous storage location, the piece was in remarkably good condition, contributing to the final cost of the painting.

Found by chance behind a door

Best known for making copies of his father’s work, Brueghel the Younger also created a number of original pieces himself.

The former owners of the painting thought the piece was a copy, nicknaming it “the crust”, and had left the painting idly behind a door.

During a routine inventory check, however, it caught the eye of auctioneer Mairo de Lussac, an avid art historian who believed it to be a genuine piece.

Despite not being signed, the painting was quickly verified as genuine by art historians.

The painting was expected to fetch between €600,000 and €800,000 at the auction, with the final bid being on the lower side of estimations.

With all of the additional costs, however, the Swiss buyer will pay €780,000.

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