Lost Domingos Sequeira painting sold in France for €95,000
The painting was initially estimated to sell for between €3,000 and €5,000 at the French auction house Artèncheres.
A long-lost painting by Portuguese master Domingos Sequeira, Descansando Durante a Fuga para o Egito (Resting During the Flight to Egypt), was sold at auction in Lyon, France, on Wednesday for €95,000.
The artwork, painted in 1824, was purchased by Portuguese collectors Maria and João Cortez de Lobão, who plan to exhibit it in New York.
The painting was initially estimated to sell for between €3,000 and €5,000 at the French auction house Artèncheres but far exceeded expectations. The final sale price was confirmed by the Drouot auction platform.
The buyers, Maria and João Cortez de Lobão, confirmed that they intend to exhibit the painting at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library (HSML) in New York.
The couple, who founded the Gaudium Magnum Foundation in 2018, are members of the museum’s International Advisory Council and have been active in preserving Iberian and Latin American cultural heritage.
A Rediscovered Masterpiece
The painting, which had been missing for years, was rediscovered in France. ArtEnchères stated that the artwork was exhibited in Paris in 1824 but was not listed in the official catalog.
During the same exhibition, Sequeira’s The Death of Camões won him a Gold Medal. The auction house described the rediscovered piece as “an important find,” noting that it is one of the few known paintings from Sequeira’s time in Paris and was mentioned in a 1987 catalog for the exhibition Sequeira: A Portuguese Artist in Changing Times at the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA) in Lisbon.
This is not the first time a painting by Domingos Sequeira has attracted international attention. In 2023–2024, his Descent from the Cross (1827) sparked controversy when Portugal’s cultural heritage authority allowed its sale abroad, despite expert opposition.
That piece was eventually purchased by the Livraria Lello Foundation and is now displayed at the Soares dos Reis National Museum in Porto.
The sale of Resting During the Flight to Egypt has also drawn interest from Portuguese institutions. MNAA Director Joaquim Caetano had expressed a desire to acquire the painting for Portugal, though no official bids were placed by national museums before the auction concluded.
Historical Context
Domingos Sequeira (1768–1837) was a supporter of liberal ideals and moved to Paris in 1824 after the Vilafrancada, a reactionary coup led by Prince Miguel of Portugal in 1823.
The painting, depicting a biblical scene, is considered a prime example of Sequeira’s romantic and religious artistry.
According to ArtEnchères, the artwork has developed fine cracks across its surface over time. Some areas, particularly in the upper left corner, were previously restored in a “rather clumsy” manner, resulting in slight retouching.
Despite this, the auction house emphasized that the painting remains an exceptional example of Sequeira’s expressive and emotive religious style.