At the end of July Sotheby's will exhibit a painting by Rubens

At Sotheby's auction in the near future will exhibit a painting by Peter Paul Rubens "Lady in black". The starting price will be 3.5 million pounds, although a few years ago the portrait was sold for 78 thousand pounds. This low price was due to the fact that the authorship was attributed to a completely different artist – one of the students of Rubens.

In 1902, the work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. Since at first the authorship of the painting was attributed first to one author, and then to another, in the end it was signed as belonging to the workshop of Rubens. After purchasing the painting at auction, the current owner decided to find out more about the item and gave it to the restorers. A new analysis has shown that the painting, painted in 1625, was created by Rubens. The frame and canvas remained heavily polluted for many years,and after the renovation, the restorers saw a beautiful masterpiece. The auction, during which they plan to sell the portrait, will be held on July 29.