A French woman who decided to have an old drawing found at home valued was stunned when it sold at auction for 85,000 euros, or more than 123,000 Canadian dollars.
“The customer had no idea who the artist was or that her drawing could be worth that amount,” said Fabien Robaldo, an art object expert at the Millon auction house, who had the design appraised by France Bleu Périgord himself, on Wednesday.
The expert, who offers a free appraisal service for works of art including jewelry, coins, sculptures and paintings, reported Wednesday that he recently appraised a sketch depicting a Descent from the Cross that a customer brought him in Périgueux, north of Toulouse in France.
Since she had no idea of the value of the “pretty pretty” work, she decided to consult a professional before getting rid of it, he told French media.
And after “a month of research,” the expert actually managed to attribute the work to Jacob Jordaen, a Flemish painter from the 17th century.
“Reference was made to the well-known painting that is in a museum in the Netherlands. I had estimated [l’esquisse] in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 euros. The auction in Drouot ended for 85,000 euros [soit plus de 123 000$ canadiens]», says Fabien Robaldo and reminds us of how important it is to have your belongings checked.
Because if all goes well for the Frenchwoman, a couple in 2022 would have had less luck selling an African mask to a second-hand dealer for the modest sum of 150 euros before finding it at auction a few times was raised to over 4 million euros months later, France Live reported earlier this month.