Xiao Ran thought for a moment and finally chose the largest neoclassical painting and prepared to clean it out.
The size of this neoclassical oil painting is 90*160. It shows a woman sitting on a chair and thinking.
Under McCann's brush, this neoclassical work can only be said to be quite average, without much to offer.
Logically speaking, there is no need for such a mediocre painting to be stored in a vault.
But the fact that it is stored here, in a neoclassical antique frame, speaks volumes.
Obviously, there is an unknown secret hidden behind this painting.
Xiao Ran pretended to observe the painting carefully for a while, and then said with certainty:
"My judgment is correct. There is indeed another oil painting hidden under this neoclassical oil painting."
"The hidden oil painting is most likely a neoclassical oil painting, but I don't know which artist it is from?"
After hearing his words, everyone at the scene suddenly became more excited, and their eyes lit up.
The next moment, Timothy said impatiently:
"Let's get started, Sean"
"Everyone wants to know what this hidden neoclassical painting is and which artist is it?"
Xiao Ran looked at these guys and then nodded.
Immediately afterwards, he knelt down, opened the box at his feet, took out a pair of plastic gloves and put them on.
Then take out the cleaning agent, gently unscrew it and pour some on the white cotton cloth.
Then he stood up and began to gently wipe the paint on the surface of the painting.
As he moved, the special paint on the surface of the painting was wiped away bit by bit like a layer of dust.
In a moment, a piece of varnish underneath the paint appeared.
And under that piece of varnish is a part of another painting.
In the painting is a piece of dark green velvet and half a mosaic wall tile.
Although this result had been expected, everyone was still excited when they actually saw it.
"Wow! This guy McCann really hid a painting here, and it's exactly a neoclassical oil painting."
"Yes! This is indeed a neoclassical oil painting, and the level is extremely high. It is probably a masterpiece!"
Listening to the constant discussion, Xiao Ran couldn't help but feel a bit of pride flashing in his eyes.
The movements of his hands did not stop at all, and he continued to wipe the paint on the surface of the painting.
In the blink of an eye, another piece of paint was wiped off.
What appeared next was a pair of women's feet, standing barefoot on the ground.
Close to the woman's feet is a thin gauze that seems to be flying in the wind.
Although this is only a partial picture, the feet and ankles in the painting are slender and smooth, full of classical beauty and evocative.
Seeing this scene, everyone at the scene was stunned and attracted by this picture.
After a while, Peggy said excitedly:
"Wow! This painting is so beautiful, it is definitely a masterpiece."
Before he finished speaking, an appraisal expert from the Philadelphia Museum of Art suddenly said:
"This picture looks a bit familiar. I seem to have seen it somewhere before, but I can't remember it."
Hearing this, Timothy and the others nodded in agreement.
Looking at this partial picture, they also felt somewhat familiar.
The painting techniques displayed by the painter gave them a sense of familiarity and shocked them.
Although they haven't seen the entire painting, they are very sure.
This hidden neoclassical painting is definitely a masterpiece.
It’s just that everyone still doesn’t know who this artistic master is?
While talking, Xiao Ran wiped off another piece of paint.
Then what appeared in front of everyone was a pair of smooth and elastic calves, a dark green curtain, and a corner of the bath.
The appearance of this picture once again caused a cry of exclamation at the scene, and everyone became more excited.
The cleaning was still going on, and everyone was staring at the painting and Xiao Ran's every move.
Following Xiao Ran's movements, two plump and slender thighs appeared on the screen.
Then there is a round and sexy woman's buttocks, covered with a layer of gauze.
Then there is a fan made of peacock feathers to cover the most critical parts.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes turned red.
Especially the appearance of the peacock feather fan directly set off the scene.
"Oh my God! I know which painting this is. This is one of the masterpieces of the neoclassical master Ingres, "The Bathing Lady""
"To be precise, this is one of the "Girls in the Bath", which is a sister work to the "Girl in the Bath" collected by the Louvre."
"Since the beginning of the 19th century, this neoclassical masterpiece has been kept in private hands and can only be seen by a few people."
"During World War II, the painting "Girl in the Bath" suddenly disappeared and never appeared again. People thought it had been destroyed by the war."
"But who would have thought that it would fall into the hands of McCann and appear in Philadelphia. This is simply a miracle. It's incredible."
Peggy said excitedly, almost dancing.
Not only him, but also Timothy and several other appraisal experts were almost crazy with excitement.
Only the rough guys, Frank and Scott, were completely confused!
But they also know Ingres's "Girl in the Bath" and what level of art it is!
In fact, as long as you have a little understanding of Western art history and neoclassicism, you can’t help but know Ingres and The Bathing Lady.
Before the cheers died down, Xiao Ran had already given a positive answer with a smile.
"Yes, this neoclassical painting hidden by McCann is indeed one of the masterpieces of the master of art Ingres, "Girl in the Bath""
"In the history of Western art, Ingres and his "Girl in the Bath" have a very important position. It can basically be said to be one of the symbols of neoclassicism."
"There is no doubt that this is the most top-notch work of art. Discovering this "Girl in the Bath" was a bit unexpected, and it was a huge surprise!"
Following his words, everyone at the scene suddenly became more excited.
At this moment, Scott suddenly interrupted and said:
"Sean, Peggy, can you tell me about Ingres's "Girl in the Bath"? We rough guys don't know much about this top-notch work of art."
"I know the neoclassical master Ingres and his masterpiece, "Girl in the Bath", but that oil painting is different from this painting."
Xiao Ran turned his head to look at this guy, pondered for a moment, and then said with a smile:
"I want to continue cleaning up this "Girl in the Bath". I can't be distracted. Let Peggy introduce this painting."
Naturally, Peggy would not refuse such a request.
Then, he began to introduce the painting "Girl in the Big Bath" and the story behind the painting.
"Ingres is the last master of the French neoclassical school and one of the most important representatives. He is as famous as David and Poussin and other art masters."
"The Bathing Girl is one of Ingres' most famous masterpieces and one of the symbols of neoclassical art. It is very important and famous."
"In 1814, at the order of Napoleon's sister, Princess Caroline Mora of the Kingdom of Naples, Ingres created "The Bathing Lady""
"The woman in the painting is a palace maid of the Ottoman Empire. She has a strong oriental sentiment and strictly respects the rigorous classical style."
“When Ingres wrote The Bathing Lady, France was defeated in the war against the Ottoman Empire and lost its land in Turkey.”
“At that time, it was very popular among the French upper class to appreciate nude images of Turkish women. This would undoubtedly satisfy the French people’s sense of disappointment...”
While Peggy was introducing Ingres' "Girl in the Bath", Xiao Ran continued to clean up the painting.
He carefully wiped away the layer of paint on the surface of the painting bit by bit.
The "Girl in the Big Bath" hidden underneath gradually appeared in front of everyone.
After a while, the paint on the surface of the painting had been completely wiped away, leaving only some residue in the corners.
The painting "Girl in the Bath", which has been mysteriously missing for more than seventy years, has finally appeared in front of everyone in its entirety and reappeared in the world!
At this point, Peggy has finished introducing the painting.
The scene immediately fell silent. Everyone was completely attracted by this neoclassical masterpiece and began to admire it intoxicatedly.
As Peggy said, the painting shows a nude Turkish odalisque.
She stood sideways in front of the bathtub, with a Turkish headscarf on her head and a veil on her body. She held a peacock feather fan in her hand, as if she was ready to take a bath.
The moment she took the bath, she turned her head to look outside the painting, her expression was calm and dull, and there seemed to be a smile on her lips.
There is a gentle and virtuous look in the eyes, the skin is smooth and elastic, the figure is graceful, the curves are enchanting, but the key parts are covered with a feather fan.
The Turkish palace maid in the painting is like a perfect ancient Greek sculpture, shocking and stunningly beautiful!
Looking at this representative painting of neoclassical art, everyone was shocked and deeply attracted!
After a long time, everyone just woke up.
Immediately afterwards, there was an exclamation of exclamation from the scene.
"Wow! This "Girl in the Bath" is so beautiful. It is worthy of being a famous painting handed down from generation to generation!"
"Compared with the "Girl in the Big Bath" collected by the Louvre, this "Girl in the Big Bath" is not inferior. It is also a priceless treasure!"
While marveling, everyone was still admiring the painting with fascination and could not bear to look away.
After a moment, Scott suddenly said:
"Sean, can you tell me the valuation of this painting "The Bathing Lady"? It must be very amazing, right?"
Not only this guy, but also several other senior FBI and police officials at the scene also wanted to know the answer.
These guys all looked at Xiao Ran and the "Girl in the Bath", their eyes so hot that they almost burned.
Xiao Ran had no intention of hiding anything from these guys and immediately gave the answer with a smile.
"Ingres's "Girl in the Bath" can be said to be one of the representative symbols of the neoclassical school of painting and the most top-notch work of art."
"Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for Ingres's "Girl in the Bath" to appear on the art market, just like the "Mona Lisa" would not be auctioned!"
"In view of this, it becomes more difficult to value this painting "Girl in the Bath" because it is difficult to find reference objects."
"If I had to put a valuation on "Girl in the Bath", I personally think it should be over US$250 million..."
Not surprisingly, as soon as this valuation was released, it immediately detonated the scene.
"What? More than $250 million, that's crazy!"
"Oh my God! Did I hear that right? More than $250 million!"
Scott and the others all held their heads and exclaimed, looking like crazy.
Peggy and the others were also shocked by this extremely high valuation, but they all nodded.
Before the exclamations could end, everyone on the scene looked at Xiao Ran.
Everyone suddenly thought of one thing!
If this is a stolen work of art without an owner, it will eventually fall into Xiao Ran's hands!
Ingres "Hymn to Homer"
