Once abandoned in a farm shed, a rediscovered Anthony van Dyck painting has sold for over $3 million at auction.
And the oil painting also has an unexpected provenance. The study was only recently identified as a work of van Dyck, said Sotheby’s in a statement shared with CNN. The piece was discovered in the late 20th century in a farm shed in Kinderhook, New York.
“The person who found it, Albert B. Roberts, was a passionate collector of ‘lost’ pieces, describing his collection as ‘an orphanage for lost art that had suffered from neglect,'” said the auction house.
Roberts bought the derelict painting for just $600, according to Sotheby’s. But shortly after, art historian Susan J. Barnes published an article in which she recognized the piece as a “surprisingly well preserved” work by van Dyck.
The painting sold for $3.1 million on Thursday.
It was offered to Sotheby’s by Roberts’ estate. And a portion of proceeds will benefit the Albert B. Roberts Foundation Inc, which provides financial support to artists and other charities, according to the auction house.
