A painting by Rubens, thought to have disappeared 400 years ago, has been discovered in Paris.

A painting by the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), believed lost since 1613, has been found in a mansion in Paris , the French capital, the auctioneer who found the work reported on Wednesday.

"It's a masterpiece, a Christ on the Cross , painted in 1613, which had disappeared and which I found in September 2024 during the inventory and sale of a mansion in the 6th arrondissement of Paris," said Jean-Pierre Osenat, president of the auction house of the same name, in an interview with AFP.

The "unprecedented" find is, for the auctioneer, "an extremely rare event." The painting was "painted by Rubens at the height of his talent and authenticated by Professor Nils Büttner," a specialist in 15th and 16th-century German, Flemish, and Dutch art and president of the Rubenianum, an organization in Antwerp near Rubens's former home and studio, which is responsible for the study of his work, according to Osenat.

"I was wandering around Rubens' garden while the committee of experts deliberated on the painting's authenticity, when he called me to say, 'Jean-Pierre, we have a new Rubens!' " recounted the excited auctioneer, who will auction the painting on November 30.

As Osenat explained, the painting "represents the beginning of Baroque painting" and in it "the crucified Christ is depicted, isolated, luminous, standing out powerfully against a dark and threatening sky."

"Behind the rocky, green backdrop of Golgotha, a view appears showing Jerusalem illuminated, but apparently under a storm," he described, adding that the work is in a "very good state" of preservation.

Although the painter made numerous paintings for the Church, this masterpiece, measuring 105.5 cm by 72.5 cm, was probably intended for a private collector . It belonged to the 19th-century painter William Bouguereau and, later, to the owners of the Parisian mansion where it was found.

The German Peter Paul Rubens was the best-known European painter of the first half of the 17th century. His work is extensive and varied, estimated at around 1,500. His extensive output is due to the size of his studio, where various students collaborated on projects. In his art, the German painter addressed diverse pictorial themes, including religion, history, classical mythology, landscapes, and hunting scenes.