The painting was purchased by a private collector, whose identity remains undisclosed, and taken to a fine art conservator.
Painting found in Garage sells for £685k
Monday, November 24, 2025
An Old Master painting, discovered beneath a garage workbench, has sold for more than half a million pounds at an auction house in Banbury.
In a bidding battle at JS Fine Art auctioneers, auctioneers said the sale was reminiscent of a “Lesser Watch” moment from Only Fools and Horses, with the painting depicting the Madonna and Child finally selling for £685,000.
The painting had drawn intense national and international interest after being catalogued by JS Fine Art as an “Italian Old Master”. Believed to be by Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino (1450–1523), the master of Raphael, the work captivated bidders online, by phone, and in the auction room for an unprecedented 15-minute contest.
“We knew it was special, but the response was beyond anything we expected. The longer you looked, the more you realised the quality of the workmanship and the elegance of the Renaissance detailing.