Rare 19th century painting found in Norfolk home sells for £160k
A rare 19th century painting by French artist Jean Victor Louis Faure discovered at a Norfolk family home sold for £160k at auction - Credit: Dreweatts
A rare painting that had hung unnoticed in a Norfolk home's hallway for decades has sold at auction for a staggering £160,000.
The artwork, depicting the Pantheon in Rome, was bought by Major H Mosse of Mendham Priory, Harleston in 1965 .
It had hung largely unnoticed for 60 years and only garnered attention when the home was being packed up when it was discovered it was by the 19th century French artist, Jean Victor Louis Faure.
The piece went up for auction last month and achieved a closing bid of £160,000, beating its original valuation by over £100,000.
The oil-on-canvas painting, which is 1.21 metres by 1.72 metres in size, was expected to be highly sought after by collectors around the world as artwork from 19th century painter Faure rarely appears at auction.
The 19th century painting by Jean Victor Louis Faure is of the pantheon in Rome, titled Market Day, The Pantheon, Rome - Credit: Dreweatts
Speaking after the discovery of its value, Major H Mosse’s son said: “My earliest recollection of this picture was the prominent position it occupied in the hallway of the family home for nearly 60 years, where it witnessed the comings and goings of family life, the many great friends who visited and even a wedding reception.
"“For the most part it was just seen as an impressive picture occupying a large wall space with the occasional glance to acknowledge its existence.
“It wasn’t until the end, when the house was cleared and the only item left was the picture still hanging on the wall in its same prominent position, which stood out even more so now.
Most Read
- 1 Roadworks to be aware of in Norfolk this week
- 2 Historic US airfield museum volunteers awarded highest Queen’s honour
- 3 Overturned lorry causes heavy traffic on A140
- 4 Heatwave to return this week - but how hot is Norfolk going to be?
- 5 See inside £1.5m north Suffolk farmhouse surrounded by a moat
- 6 Health warning issued as temperatures to hit 34C in Norfolk this week
- 7 'Risk of injury' - Aldi recalls product due to safety fears
- 8 'Absolute rubbish' - Summit discusses controversial waste plant
- 9 Met Office to build 80ft 'golf ball' weather radar after winning appeal
- 10 Earn a share of £16,000 giveaway for the charity that matters to you!
“This piqued my interest to find out a little bit more about the artist Jean Victor Louis Faure, as obviously, I had never thought of asking my parents during their lifetime anything about the picture.
"Surprisingly, this has turned out to be an important re-discovery of this impressive picture that I had grown up with."
The painting went under the hammer at a sale of Old Master, British and European Art at Dreweatts on May 26.
