Christ Mocked, the purchase perfected by Italian Fabrizio Moretti. "It is certainly the work of Cimabue."

It was Italian dealer Fabrizio Moretti who led the purchase of the Christ Mocked attributed to Cimabue and sold yesterday by the Actéon auction house in Compiègne (northern France) for 24.1 million euros (although Moretti bought it on behalf of private collectors who, as we said this morning, preferred to remain anonymous). Moretti, who is also secretary general of the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato(here is our interview with Moretti during this year’s edition), commented with satisfaction on the outcome of the sale while speaking to The New York Times.

“I bought the work on behalf of two collectors,” Moretti explained immediately after the auction was concluded. "It is one of the most important discoveries in the field of old masters in the last fifteen years. Cimabue is the beginning of everything. He started modern art. When I had the work in my hands, I almost cried.“ Moretti also said that the attribution to Cimabue in his opinion is ”certain“ and that the price of 24.1 million euros is ”high, but correct."

As is known, the work was hanging on the kitchen wall of an elderly woman in Compiègne, who considered it a work of little value, but we have no idea how it ended up in her home. Commenting on the discovery was Philomène Wolf of the Actéon auction house, "I was thrilled when I saw this tablet, an almost indescribable emotion. In our trade, we know that this emotion can only be given by a great master."

Christ Mocked, the purchase perfected by Italian Fabrizio Moretti. "It is certainly the work of Cimabue."

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