Found in an abandoned Parisian apartment painting sold for 2.1 million euros

[Евгений]

6 October 2010 Mr.
Portrait of Italian painter Giovanni Baldini, discovered in a Paris apartment, the owners left more than seventy years ago, was sold at auction for 2,1 million euro, writes The Daily Telegraph.
The last owner of the apartment, a kind of Madame Florian, left Paris before the Second World War. She died a few months ago in a town in the south of France at age 91 years, but until the last day Florian accurately has contributed rent, hoping that someday she would return to the capital. However, this did not happen. Her apartment, located near Trinity Church, in the same area where the Place de la Concorde, Gare Saint-Lazare, Galeries Lafayette, stood untouched until June 2010, while it did not come appraisers to prepare the property of Madame Florian to trading.

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apartment, furnished with old-fashioned furniture, with high stucco ceilings and wood burning fireplace in the kitchen, reminiscent of "Sleeping Beauty Castle", in which time has stopped, said Olivier Shoppen-Janvry, known in the Paris art experts. But special attention evaluator drew a portrait hanging in the living room, depicting a beautiful woman in an evening dress of pink muslin.
As it turned out it was a portrait of Martha's grandmother Madame Florian, made by Giovanni Baldini, one of the most fashionable Parisian painters of the late XIX century. As established experts, the woman in the portrait artist and was most likely a lady, "the demi-monde," as evidenced by her daring outfit and a bunch of love letters, which Madame Florian kept in an old chest of drawers. Among the addresser "stranger in a pink" was French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and the artist himself Baldini.
"She was sorting letters from his fans, tying them with colorful ribbons," - said one of the appraisers.
The portrait was sold at auction to a private collector, who, according to Shoppena-Janvry, fell in love with him at first sight.
1. BOLDINI Giovanni (one thousand eight hundred and forty-two - one thousand nine hundred thirty-one)

Portait de Madame de Florian
Adjugé 2,108,000 EUR frais inclus
circa 1900-1910
Huile sur toile, signé
147 x 114 cm
http://www.choppindejanvry.com/page/...-encheres.html