Sent by an antiques dealer and friend of Pulini’s, it included a photo of a luminous oil painting of the scourged Christ. At 9.54pm, Pulini sent a reply that would echo across the art world: “Damn! Having first intended to auction the painting at a base price of €1,500, they now found themselves with three huge offers. “The owners’ faces turned pale,” Ciaroni says. Whatever happens, it is, as Pulini points out, a miracle that the painting has survived and remained intact.

Source: The Irish Times April 26, 2021 04:52 UTC