London, England, Nov 15, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Two sacred art pieces by Renaissance master Fra Angelico were recently discovered and are expected to be auctioned in England for at least one million pounds (1.8 million U.S. Dollars) this spring.
The two small panels, which measure fifteen inches by five inches and each depict a Dominican saint in tempera on a gold ground, formed part of the altarpiece of the church and convent of St. Marco in Florence. They had been commissioned by Cosimo de Medici, and his brother Lorenzo, the greatest art patrons of the Italian Renaissance.
The paintings, dated to 1439, were believed to be lost since the Napoleonic Wars, when the original work was broken up.
They were discovered by Mark Liversidge, the former head of art history at Bristol University, following the death of a family friend, reported The Universe.
The two paintings are due to go to auction on March 8 at Dukes of Dorchester, reported The Universe.
A spokesperson for the auction house told The Universe that it is extremely rare for a work by Fra Angelico to come up for sale; the last one sold in England was in 1978 for £230,000.
The Dominican monk was beatified in 1982.
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