by Morina Mojana

When in 1989 I issued the first monograph (to this day the only one) on Valentin de Boulogne (1594-1632) -- the French Caravaggesque painter who was one of the best followers of the Italian master's style -- his painting "Christ mocked and crowned with thorns" had been acquired by art dealer Giacomo Algranti and was part of a private English collection.

It was only in 1996 that it became part the extraordinary art collection of American financier A. Alfred Taubman, who won the painting at an auction for $882,500 (including commission) at Sotheby's, the company he had acquired a controlling stake in back in 1983, and that in 1988 he had listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Fonte: Italy24