A man in Liège who bought a painting from an indebted stranger has seen his good deed pay off nearly a decade later, after discovering the piece could be a €30 million Rembrandt.
During a chance encounter around ten years ago in a bar in the city of Herstal, in the province of Liège, the man fell into conversation with another patron crippled by debt.
After the exchange, the man, referred to as "Mr Jo" in local media, decided to help his new acquaintance through his financial difficulties by buying a portrait of Jesus from him for €500.
Tipped off by an art-loving friend that his new acquisition could be more valuable, an evaluation by an art expert revealed that the €500 investment could actually be worth over €30 million.
The art expert further said that the painting presented characteristics that were "dear" to prolific masterpiece painter Rembrandt, with a member of the former Belgian chamber of arts describing it as an "extraordinary oeuvre."
Mr Jo has decided to put his newfound art piece up for sale, according to SudInfo, who said he is planning on investing the proceedings in his favourite football club.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
