Tauromachia etchings found in a hidden recess of a castle library are offered at Sotheby's
A Collection of Goya Etchings Found by Chance in a French Château.
Published in 1816, the Tauromaquia was no commercial success, but the etchings that have now turned up are going under the hammer at Sotheby's with a starting price of $820,000
The rare prints were discovered in the Château de Montigny-le-Gannelon, together with 90 military watercolours, in a hiding place in the castle library. The owners report that the folio of drawings was found by specialists invited to draw up an inventory of the library.
The treasure, which nobody expected to find here behind a row of old books, had been hidden from view since the early nineteenth century. The prints had probably been gathering dust in their hiding place for some 200 years. The history of the collection may raise its value several times over, all the more so for so unusual a find. And if we recall that in 2013 another Tauromaquia was sold at Christie's for almost $2 million, the modest price of $820,000 named by Sotheby's may well be exceeded many times over at the sale, which will take place on 4 April.
It is suggested that the duke Anne-Adrien-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval most probably received the etchings as a diplomatic gift while he was ambassador in Madrid from 1814 to 1823. After that the set of prints was simply tucked away, or quite possibly just thrown into a far drawer and, evidently, soon forgotten, which is why it has survived in immaculate condition.
