Art History

November 27, 2023

Medieval Masterpiece Found in Elderly Woman’s Kitchen Is Now Headed to the Louvre

What's hanging in your kitchen? Maybe a stylized picture of fruit or just pots and pans hung on the walls to save space. One elderly woman in Compiegne, France, had what she believed to be a Greek religious icon hung in her kitchen. The tiny 8-inch by 10-inch painting may have appeared to the woman to be a simple Biblical scene—certainly old, but not otherwise remarkable.

Read Article


November 15, 2023

Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions

Some things become so ordinary that we easily miss their extraordinary nature. For some people, the decor they spend their lives around is merely sentimental or aesthetically pleasing. However, it can turn out to be extraordinary and of great interest to the world. We’ve recently seen a TV room painting turn out to be by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and even garage sale purchases turn out to be Ming Dynasty relics.

Read Article


November 3, 2023

Restored Rembrandt Is on Sale for $30 Million

Works by Rembrandt van Rijn are rarely seen at auction. The precious Old Master's works are worth many millions, coveted by private collectors and museums alike. In 2009, Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo (1658) set the Rembrandt record with a €23.2 million sale (over $24.6 million). Other sales, such as Abraham and Angels (c. 1646), have been private for amounts ranging upwards of $20 million. Now, another masterpiece is up for sale.

Read Article


October 9, 2023

Artemisia Gentileschi Lost Painting Found in King Charles’ “Attic” and Is Restored

Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the most celebrated painters of the Baroque period. So much so that she even painted for royalty, including a stint in London at the court of King Charles I. So how did one of her canvases end up in storage at Hampton Court for over 100 years, only to be recently rediscovered? It all goes back to the whims of history.

Read Article