Maybe a poster or a framed family photo.
The painting has been in the family since 1900.
It turns out the work is an authentic Brueghel, a Northern Renaissance masterpiece entitledThe Village Lawyer.
Another version of “The Village Lawyer,” also called “The Tax Collector’s Office.” This version is displayed in the Art Gallery of South Australia. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
I arrived in a small television room which was not very well lit.
And thats when in fact I discovered the painting.
It was a bit of a surprise.
Peter Brueghel the Younger, as drawn by Anthony van Dyck in the early 17th century. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The family knew that the painting depicted a work of Brueghel, but believed it was a copy.
Yes, they called it the Brueghel, but they had no idea it actually was!
Three experts in Paris independently confirmed the painting’s authenticity.
It dates to the years between 1615 and 1617, when the middle-aged Brueghel was living in Antwerp.
Brueghel’s father had been a Flemish painter as well, known asBrueghel the Elder.
Both father and son were painters of theNorthern Renaissance, a flourishing artistic period in northern Europe.
The recently discovered the painting is one of several versions which were created by the artist.
Brueghel was known for painting suchscenes of village life, such as preaching and marriage processions.
This work in particular is large for a Brueghel at 44 inches high and 72.4 inches wide.
An anonymous Swiss buyer won the prize with a price of 780,000 or about $845,000.
But of course I was cautious.
It is after all rather rare to find a Brueghel hanging in a television room.
Another version of The Village Lawyer, also called The Tax Collector’s Office.
This version is displayed in the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Peter Brueghel the Younger, as drawn by Anthony van Dyck in the early 17th century.
