Art: Lucky Antiquary

M. Agre, antiquary of Robaix, France, bought of a grand nephew of Henri Robelin, auctioneer of the Drouet Salesrooms under Napoleon III, a collection of 15 presumably worthless paintings. On looking them over, he was rather impressed by one canvas, ten by seven inches, and on cleaning it found the signature "P. P. Rubens." M. Agre promptly sent the painting to the well-known Rubens authority, Prof. Tuguyne of the Brussels Art School, who pronounced the picture genuine. The painting, depicting Venus and a faun, is now held for 1,000,000 francs.

...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!