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A Picture by Charles Le Brun Was Discovered in Ritz Hotel in Paris

A true masterpiece was discovered during the recent renovation in the legendary Ritz hotel in Paris. The picture of the 17th century master Charles Le Brun was decorating one of the hotel’s suites, and no one knew it was there.

Currently, the picture is being prepared to Christie’s auctioneers, who will sell it at an auction. It is reported that the cost of the picture can reach 500,000 euros. The funds gathered will be transferred to the foundation of Mohamed Al Fayed. The foundation is devoted to his son Dodi, a boyfriend of Princess Diana who died together with her in a car accident.

The painting found is a work by Le Brun (1619-1690), a famous French artist and the official painter of the Louis XIV court. This painting belongs to his early works, when Le Brun was not yet famous and known as one of the most reputable figures in French art of the 17th century. The picture was located in one of the suites, in which Coco Chanel lived for more than 30 years. However, it is not clearly known, when the picture was installed in the suite. Ritz hotel in Paris has a long history. The building of the hotel was constructed in 1705. At that time it was home for a noble family. The house was turned into a hotel in 1898, when it was bought by Cesar Ritz. Despite such a long age, the hotel’s archives contain no information about the painting.

The picture was discovered by Olivier Lefeuvre, a Christie’s specialist, in July of last year. He saw it occasionally and was amazed by the work. He thought that could be a picture by Le Brun, and the expertise performed by Christie’s specialists proved his idea. The painting, which depicts the killing of Trojan princess Polyxena, is not present in any records, so the unknown masterpiece was named “The Sacrifice of Polyxena”.

Mohamed Al Fayed decided to sell the picture because it should be in a museum rather than in a hotel. Currently, the picture is exhibited in New York, and in April it will be auctioned in Paris.

04.02.2013

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