Masterpiece, worth $26mn, which was found in kitchen moves back to Louvre museum

A French “national treasure” has been added by the Louvre Museum in Paris to its collection four years after being discovered hanging in the kitchen of a house.

“Christ Mocked” by the Florentine painter Cimabue was found during clearance of an elderly woman’s house in the town of Compiegne in 2019. The rare artwork, which the woman had believed to be a Greek religious icon, was hanging in her kitchen.

The owner of the masterpiece was not aware of where the 10-inch by 8-inch painting had come from, stated Jerome Montcouquil of art specialists Cabinet Turquin.

Montcouquil was asked to conduct tests on the painting after its discovery at the time.

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The painting, which dates back to 1280, fetched nearly €24.2 million ($26.8 million) in an auction in October 2019. This was four times more than the pre-sale estimate.

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The French government then took measures to block its export and assigned the “national treasure” status to the painting.

The steps taken by the French government kept the tiny, ultra-rare painting for 30 months in the country and in that time period funds were raised by the government to purchase the painting for the country.

France’s Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, and the Louvre Museum's president and director Laurence des Cars have now announced that the painting is a part of the collection of the museum.

“These acquisitions are the result of an exceptional mobilization of the Louvre Museum which allows to preserve in France works coveted by the greatest museums of the world and to make them accessible to all,” stated the ministry in a statement, without clearly stating how they have raised the money.

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The ministry further went on to call the painting “a crucial milestone in art history, marking the fascinating transition from icon to painting.”

Only nearly 15 of Cimabue’s works are known to the world, which is why the painting “is a national treasure of major importance,” stated the ministry.

In the collection of the Louvre Museum, it will be accompanied by the much larger Cimabue painting “Maestà” and the two works will be part of an exhibition event in spring 2025, as per the ministry.

Cimabue is artist Cenni di Pepo's pseudonym who was born in Florence around the year 1240. The world remembers him as the discoverer and master of Giotto and he is seen as one of the greatest artists of the pre-Renaissance era.

(With inputs from agencies)