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A French family had, without knowing it, a painting by the son of the Flemish master. A random discovery of an inventory of their home.
By Violaine de Montclos
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In October 10, 2022, somewhere in France, the young auctioneer Malo de Lussac proceeds to the laborious inventory of a family home. Notebook in hand, he goes from room to room, lists the armchairs, chests of drawers, paintings, in particular a painting XIXe enthroned in majesty in the large living room but which, to the astonishment of the members of the siblings present, does not have, according to him, the slightest market value. The heirs who call on his services that day are accustomed to this kind of decor, paintings, carpets and antique furniture, but they are not collectors, they have no knowledge of art history.
The procession then enters a small room that serves as a television room, and Lussac, turning around, sees, hanging behind a door, an imposing ta…