The Telegraph reports that the Prado was cleaning a painting for a private individual when the conservators discovered a signature from Bruegel the Elder who is only known to have 40 surviving canvases. The Prado hopes to acquire the newly attributed work, “The Wine of St. Martin’s Day.”
The painting belonged to a private Spanish collection whose owners wanted to sell it and brought it to the museum for restoration. They did not know it was the work of Bruegel, the patriarch of a prolific Flemish painting dynasty, known for his landscapes and depictions of peasant life.
The Prado is negotiating with the owners to buy the work, but the minister declined to say how much the state was prepared to pay for it.
Bruegel Masterpiece Discovered in Spain (Telegraph)
