In a small shed in an industrial park in the Scottish Highlands, a marble bust it had been years holding the doorwithout, as expected, anyone giving it much importance. But that small object, which was bought for just over 5 eurosturned out to be a forgotten masterpiece: the ‘Bust of Bouchardon’sculpted by the famous French artist Edmé Bouchardon in the 18th century. Today, its value is around 2.9 million eurosand its story is a reminder that the most valuable treasures can be hidden in the most unexpected places.
The bust, which represents the Scottish politician and landowner John Gordonfounder of the town of Invergordon, had been acquired in 1930 by the town’s municipal council. It survived a fire in a 19th century castle and was moved to the local town hall, but was never put on display. Over the years, oblivion took over of the sculpture, until in 1998 it was rediscovered fulfilling the banal function of keeping a door open.
This fact sparked a stir among experts, who confirmed its authenticity and its origin. Since then, the bust has traveled to some of the most prestigious museums of the world, such as the Louvre in Paris in 2016 and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2017, but he never returned definitively to his hometown. Faced with the difficulty of exhibiting a piece of such economic and artistic value, the local authorities decided to sell it to a private buyer who made a juicy offer, and in addition to paying almost three million euroscommitted to funding a museum-quality replica for the community.
The offer was controversial, with some art historians arguing that the piece should be loaned to Scottish museums. But last year 2023, the local council was contacted by a foreign private buyer through the auction house Sotheby’s, and a public consultation to allow local residents to have their say on whether the statue should be sold, in accordance with Scottish legislation governing the fate of property classified as “common goods”. Then, it was ensured that any fund obtained from the sale it would go to the Invergordon Commons Fund, which provides grants to support local projects. The majority gave their approval and sale was finally approved last week by a Scottish court.
These types of extraordinary finds are rare, but surprising. In 2018, a geology professor in Michigan discovered that a rock that had also been used for decades as a doorstop at his university was, in fact, a meteorite weighing more than ten kilos, which sold for $75,000 (about 70,800 euros). ). In 2013, a ceramic bowl purchased for $3 (2.80 euros) at a garage sale in New York turned out to be a piece from the Song dynasty, valued at $2.2 million (two million euros). And in 1991, a woman bought a painting for $5 at a second-hand store in California, without suspecting that it was an authentic work by Jackson Pollock.
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