A newly rediscovered painting by Flemish Master Antony van Dyck seems set for the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville.
According to El País, The presentation of the baby Jesus to Saint Barbara hung for several generations at a family home in Jaén, Spain, with none aware that it belonged to one of the most important oeuvres in Flemish art history. To their astonishment, a Madrid art company deemed it a legitimate van Dyck, spurring interest from far flung prospective buyers. However, the Andalusian Ministry of Culture confirmed to El País that the family has been in contact with the Seville museum about a potential acquisition.
“The owner of the painting has no intention of speculating, but he does have a special interest in it staying in Seville, the city where the family now lives and with which he has a special connection,” Luis Baena, the lawyer representing the painting’s owner, who was not named in the story, told the Spanish news outlet. The painting is currently in a vault for safekeeping, and the owner has not allowed photos to be taken.
Though the work has yet to receive an official appraisal (the family told El País they would seek “a fair and reasonable price”), similar canvases by van Dyck have fetched seven- and eight-figure sums at auction.
Van Dyck was a prolific court painter, with a legacy to rival his Flemish contemporary Peter Paul Rubens. Some of his most expensive works are ones that were reattributed in recent years, significantly boosting their value.
In 2014, the National Portrait Gallery in London bought a self-portrait made just before the artist’s death in 1641 for £10 million ($16 million). That same self-portrait set the artist’s previous auction record in 2009, selling for £8.3 million ($13.5 million).
Museums traditionally can’t match the purse of a private collector, but the owners of The presentation of the baby Jesus to Saint Barbara could still expect a significant payout if the sale to the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville is finalized.
In 2018, the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest purchased van Dyck’s wedding portrait of King Charles I’s daughter from Christie’s for $7.5 million.