A 400 year old masterpiece by French painter and theorist Charles le Brun auctioned at Christie's Paris on April 15. The 17th century painting, which was discovered at the Ritz hotel in Paris during a period of renovation, brought €1.4m ($1.9m). It was bought by New York's Metropolitan Museum.
![]() The painting has come to be known as The Death of Polyxena |
Christie's Olivier Lefeuvre comments: "The Met does not yet have a work by Charles le Brun. This completes its collection of 17th century paintings."
The painting adorned one of the suites in which fashion designer Coco Chanel lived for more than 30 years. It depicts the killing of Trojan princess Polyxena, following her implication in the death of Achilles. It has come to be known as The Death of Polyxena.
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Images: Christie's