16th century French school, - Lot 325

16th century French school, Set of 5 natural oak beams painted in black depicting an illustration of "the story of Judith". Beam heights from 150 to 199 cm and widths of 14 cm. Exceptional PART of a fresco from the last quarter of the 16th century depicting "The story of Judith", discovered in 1983 in the Hôtel d'Arthus Fillon in Verneil sur Avre. Covering an area of more than 9 m², only 5 sections remain today, offering a fragmentary view of the original, reworked work. Only a copy of a period photograph allows us to appreciate the work in its entirety. Remained in the family since that date, part of the fresco has now been lost, and we have been unable to trace it back to the various people who had access to this exceptional work in 1983. Bibliography: A 16th-century fresco