The Mocking Of Christ by Cimabue

Auctioned by Actéon Hôtel de Ventes de Senlis for €24 million.

Bringing new meaning to the concept of cash in the attic – or in this case, the kitchen – this medieval painting by 13th-century Italian master Cimabue hung unnoticed for years above a hotpot in

the house of an elderly French woman. Measuring a mere

20 by 26cm, the small panel work was authenticated as a missing

counterpart to an altarpiece depicting eight scenes from the Passion of Christ. Only around 10 Cimabue works on panel are

known to have survived and this is the only Cimabue to have appeared on the auction market, which might explain why it sold for

quadruple its pre-auction estimate.