A sketch found on a farm among chicken droppings turned out to be a $3 million masterpiece 

/ Art /

The painting was created by the Flemish artist Antonis van Dyck in the XNUMXth century.

About this reports tells Media Artnet.

An oil painting by van Dyck, created early in the Flemish artist's career, was found in a barn on a farm. The work will take part in Sotheby's Master Week, where, according to experts, it can fetch up to 3 million dollars. 

The sketch of Saint Jerome is one of two known sketches by van Dyck based on live models. It was probably created between 1615 and 1618, when the young artist worked as an assistant in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp. This work depicts a hunched over elderly man with his face in shadow and lean musculature finely rendered.

Antonis van Dyck, Study with Saint Jerome (1615–18). Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

The sketch was discovered in a barn in Kinderhook, New York in 2002 and purchased at auction by a local collector. Despite the fact that the reverse side of the canvas was covered with bird droppings, the art critic believed that the work was a valuable painting from the Dutch Golden Age and bought it for $600. 

He confirmed the authenticity of his find in 2019, when art historian Susan Barnes recognized it as a "surprisingly well-preserved" work by van Dyck. 

The Sotheby's Master Week series in New York runs from January 18 to 30. The public exhibition, where the painting is displayed, opened on January 21.

 

 

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