A long-lost Rubens crucifixion painting, misidentified for years, sold for $2.7 million at a Versailles auction on November 30, 2025.

A long-lost Rubens crucifixion painting, found in a Paris townhouse, sold for $2.7 million at a Versailles auction on November 30, 2025. Initially thought to be a workshop copy worth $11,500, it was authenticated by the Rubenianum in Antwerp using scientific analysis, including microscopic paint layer examination. Rarely depicting Christ’s lifeless body with blood and water from his side wound, the artwork had belonged to 19th-century French artist William Bouguereau and had been missing since the early 1600s.