The work of the German painter Bernhard Strigel (1460-1528) was in a pile of paintings, stored on a bed in a bedroom in a Toulouse apartment, explains Pauline Maringe, auctioneer of the Artpaugée auction house. Following an inventory for an insurance company during the summer of 2021, its owners asked for an estimate.
“When I saw this painting, it was in an exceptional state of conversation for a painting that has spanned five centuries. We entrusted it to our expert, who authenticated it, ”says Pauline Maringe.
Is the buyer the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which recently bought its counterpart? “The buyer did not wish to reveal his identity, it is an institution” explained the auctioneer. “The two angels are apparently the pieces of an altarpiece. We do not know where the central part is”
The amount of the transaction for “The Thuriferous Angel Dressed in a Yellow Tunic” far exceeded the estimate, from 600 to 800,000 euros.