A painting by French 17th Century master Nicolas Poussin, lost in 1713, was rediscovered recently in a house near Marseilles, Southern France, and bought by the Louvre Museum, it was learned on June 25th 1999. The painting titled The Vision of Saint Françoise Roman, one of Poussin's best works, was acquired by the Museum thanks to a special donation made by The Friends of the Louvre Association.
This work was rediscovered last year when its owner entrusted an auctioneer to sell it. A photo was then sent to Paris expert Eric Turquin who established that it was a genuine Poussin and decided to put forward an estimate of 55 million FF (US $ 9 million). Finally the owner accepted to sell it for 45 million FF (US $ 7, 165, 000) to the museum. The painting was in remarkable condition except for a small tear suffered in 1946 when it fell over a petrol lamp.
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