- Couple found dead in Tennessee hot tub
- Middle school teacher accused of sending nude photos to student via Snapchat
- Watch: Video of snowboarder chased by bear may be fake
- WATCH: Brothers convince sister of zombie apocalypse after wisdom teeth surgery
- Man goes in for routine dental surgery, wakes up with no teeth
A family in southern France may have found a painting that could be worth an estimated $136 million.
The painting, which measures 56 by 69 inches, has been dated to between 1600 and 1610 and is said to be the lost work of the artist, Caravaggio, according to The Guardian. The painting depicts the Bible's Judith beheading an Assyrian general and was found two years ago by the family after they were checking the attic of an old house following some leakage.
Painting expert Eric Turquin told The Guardian that the work may be "the most important painting, by far, to have emerged in the last 20 years" and he has been working on the painting since it was found in April 2014 to clean and examine it. Turquin told AFP that some historians say the painting was created by Flemish artist Louis Finson, who was a disciple of Caravaggio, but Turquin found that "the light, the energy typical of Caravaggio, without mistakes, done with a sure hand and a pictorial style that makes it authentic."
Art expert Mina Gregori told a French newspaper, Le Quotidien de l'Art, that she found the painting to be "not an original" even though she "recognized the undeniable quality of the work," The Guardian reports.
The Guardian adds that the painting is under a 30-month ban from leaving France in order to allow museums in the country to possibly acquire the work. It has been at the Louvre Museum in Paris being studied the past three weeks.
About the Author
