Spain buys previously unknown Bruegel masterpiece

[October 23, 2010]  MADRID (AP) -- Spain's Culture Ministry says it has bought a previously unknown masterpiece by 16th-century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder discovered recently by the Prado Museum.

A statement on the ministry's website Friday said the Prado's board of trustees had agreed to purchase "The Wine of Saint Martin's Day" for euro7 million ($9.8 million). The signed work was owned by private collectors.

The Prado announced last month that the painting was a Bruegel after months of study and restoration.

The painting, dated between 1565 and 1568, depicts a crowd scrambling madly to get a sample of the year's first vintage from a barrel.

The Prado has just one other Bruegel the Elder painting. Prior to the latest find there were just 40 signed Bruegels in existence.

[Associated Press]

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