Star turn in a sale held in the French city of Angers on December 5 was this small painting by the 17th century French artist Jacques Stella (1596-1657), below. The 10½ x 9in (27 x 22.5cm) work painted on slate and signed J Stella Fecit to the reverse depicts a biblical subject, Judith with the head of Holofernes, and was discovered by Xavier de la Perraudière of Ivoire Angers (21% buyer’s premium inc VAT) auction house in a local property.
Painting on slate was a speciality for Stella but this is the only known example of a signed work in this medium. It is dated to the early part of his career between his visit to Rome and his departure for Paris in 1684-5. No fewer than 10 bidders contested the work to a multiple of its €20,000-30,000 estimate before it was hammered down for an overseas buyer at €310,000 (£276,785).