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The Louvre's head of paintings, Vincent Pomarede, said the work was "the museum's major acquisition of the last 50 years" in terms of paintings.
"It really is the original core of French painting," he said.
Malouel, known as Jan Maelwael in his native land, was born in the Dutch city of Nijmegen before 1370 and died in the French city of Dijon in 1415. He was the official painter for the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Bold around 1400.
The secondhand goods trader bought the painting, covered in whitewash, from a priest in Vic-le-Comte in 1985.
He paid the local council 2.3 million euros in compensation for it to renounce any possible claim. A French law dating from 1905 transferred ownership of Church property to the State.
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"It really is the original core of French painting," he said.
Malouel, known as Jan Maelwael in his native land, was born in the Dutch city of Nijmegen before 1370 and died in the French city of Dijon in 1415. He was the official painter for the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Bold around 1400.
The secondhand goods trader bought the painting, covered in whitewash, from a priest in Vic-le-Comte in 1985.
He paid the local council 2.3 million euros in compensation for it to renounce any possible claim. A French law dating from 1905 transferred ownership of Church property to the State.
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