Painting was forgotten in a garage for years. It will be by a Renaissance master and was auctioned for 780 thousand euros

The painting, said to be by Renaissance master Pietro Perugino, caused a frenzy online and was sold out after 15 minutes.

A dusty painting, long forgotten in a garage in Oxfordshire, surprised the art world when it sold for £685,000 at auction (around €780,000). Experts believe it could be an authentic work of Renaissance master Peruginocontemporary of Leonardo da Vinci.

Panel painting, Madonna with Childwas taken to JS Fine Arts in Banbury by a local who had purchased it years before without any knowledge of its origins. Once catalogued, the image immediately attracted international attention, with collectors flooding the auction house’s phone lines and overwhelming the team.

The bidding dispute, which it only lasted 15 minutesbut involved intense online, telephone and in-person competition, beat the auction house’s previous record of £285,000. When the gavel hit, the room erupted in applause.

Joe Smith, head auctioneer at JS Fine Arts, described the reaction as unprecedented. “We knew it was special, but the response exceeded all our expectations,” he said. “The more you observed, the more you realized the quality of execution and elegance of Renaissance details.”

Experts believe that the painting may in fact be the work of Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino, one of the most influential painters from the end of the 15th century. Perugino was renowned for his serene compositions and soft, atmospheric landscapes, and was a key figure in the commission to decorate parts of the Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo’s involvement. Among his students was Rafael, who would come to eclipse his master’s fame, says .

Perugino’s reputation fluctuated over the centuries, with Michelangelo famously describe him as “clumsy”. However, his surviving authentic works are today in important museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. If the newly discovered painting is confirmed to be genuine, it will appear among these precious pieces.

The anonymous buyer has already sent the artwork to a restorer for analysiswhile research into its origin continues.

With a potential Renaissance masterpiece rescued from a garage, the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus are experiencing an unexpected cultural moment just in time for Christmas.