Toulouse: The altarpiece dated 1520 sold for 2.8 million euros
“The thuriferous angel in the yellow tunic” left this Friday for 2.8 M € under the hammer of Pauline Maringe of Artpaugée.
Last hammer blow given with delight by the auctioneer Pauline Maringe of the Toulouse Auction House, Artpaugée: “sold for 2.8 M €”, she says with a dry noise. We had to wait a good half hour to know the auction price of this work.
About six hundred people gathered on Friday in the subdued light of the Carmelite Chapel to attend the auction of this exceptional altarpiece “The thuriferous angel in the yellow tunic”. This panel, made in 1520 by the German painter Bernhard Strigel, was found last summer, following an inheritance, in an attic of a Toulouse family, who wishes to remain anonymous, by the young Artpaugée auction house. After being appraised at the Turquin cabinet in Paris, it was exhibited for a few days at the Chapelle des Carmélites where the people of Toulouse rushed: “I came yesterday to discover this painting, explains Françoise, a history teacher. I couldn’t miss this sale today. Besides, I’m not the only one”.
Bidding started at €500,000
In the baroque setting of this chapel, the work held all eyes. Cell phones keep flashing, tongues wondering about this canvas, which comes from so far away: “How can this masterpiece – it is so well preserved, asks Henri, collector. I really like Renaissance painting. Today I am happy to observe this canvas so intense”. Next to him, Elsa, a student, is there “out of curiosity”. “I hope the buyer will be a museum. It should be admired by as many people as possible”. Exactly. “The buyer is an institution located somewhere on the planet, laughs to vaguely answer Yolaine de Rigaud, from Arpaugée who conducted the auction by telephone. The buyer speaks French. That’s all I can say. We are happy. One has the impression of having acquired this painting”.
Next to her, Antoine, represents a collector. “I’m a little disappointed,” he admits. I would have liked to be the last to bid. But my interlocutor preferred the auction stopper at €2.7 million. Pity “.
The auctions paid at 500,000 € were quickly carried away: “2.8 M€ is a real price for a very beautiful work, assures Pauline Maringe. We will certainly discover it in a few years in a museum. This particular painting has a very strong presence. We got used to seeing her in our study.”
“The thuriferous angel in the yellow tunic” who must still have the authorization of the French State to leave the territory, has not finished surprising us.