A family living in the north of France called in an expert from an auction house to determine the price of some antique items in their home. What a surprise this invitation turned out not only for the family, but also for the appraiser.
Malo de Lussac, the appraiser who discovered the original piece, gave an interview and gave details. The family wished not to disclose personal information.
"This is one of those unique discoveries that happen once in a career," said de Lussac. He looked around the dimly lit small room, and just looked out the door. The door, which was almost always open, hid the painting. The work of art hung there for more than one generation, because it belonged to the family since 1900.
The picture shows the gathered villagers around the lawyer waiting his turn for meetings Some people came with poultry and eggs as gifts.
The work of art is called "The Village Lawyer" (L'Avocat du village). By the author is Bruegel the Younger. It was painted between 1615 and 1617 and is considered one of the artist's best works. During his lifetime, he reproduced about 20 more copies of the painting in various sizes.
Pieter Bruegel the Younger, a famous Dutch painter of the 17th century. He was born in Belgium in 1564, in the family of one of the most respected artists of the Dutch Renaissance, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Bruegel the Younger mainly followed in his father's footsteps, recreating rural life with a brush, but also painted religious motifs and sometimes still lifes.
"It is a very unusual painting in terms of its size and the fact that it is in exceptionally good condition." Interestingly, the discovered specimen is one of the largest. The Louvre, for example, has another iteration of the work in its collection, and it is much smaller.
"The family called him 'Brueghel,' but they had no idea he was real. They thought it was a copy; just a little bit of decoration that didn't cost a lot," - Malo de Lussac .
Pieter Bruegel the Younger, L'avocat du village (ca. 1615-1617)
