Historical eventOctober 272019

The Mocking of Christ (Cimabue)

The Mocking of Christ (pictured) by Cimabue sold at auction in France for €19.5 million, a record for a pre-1500 artwork.

Everything on October 27Original source

In context

When
Sunday, October 27 20197 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2019.

What came beforeAI-assisted

Cimabue (c. 1240–1302) was a Florentine painter credited as a pioneer of the Italian Renaissance, moving away from Byzantine stylization toward more naturalistic representation. The Mocking of Christ is a small wooden panel painting from the 13th century depicting Christ being ridiculed by soldiers.

The painting had been unknown to art historians for centuries, hanging unattributed in a French private collection. It was misidentified as a work by a follower of Cimabue rather than the master himself.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

A French auction house scheduled the painting for sale in October 2019 after the owner decided to sell their collection. An art expert examining the work for the auction recognized stylistic and technical features matching authenticated Cimabue paintings.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

The auction was conducted by Actéon, a French auction house in Maastricht. International collectors and museums competed for the work, with the final buyer remaining undisclosed.

TimelineAI-assisted

October 27, 2019: The Mocking of Christ sold for €19.5 million (approximately $21.5 million), setting a record for any artwork created before 1500. The sale price exceeded pre-auction estimates by a significant margin.

What happened

The Mocking of Christ (pictured) by Cimabue sold at auction in France for €19.5 million, a record for a pre-1500 artwork.

October 27 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 19971997 Asian financial crisis
  2. 1999Armenian parliament shooting
  3. 1999Nairi Hunanyan
  4. 2004Boston Red Sox
  5. 2011Michael D. Higgins
  6. 2014Operation Herrick
  7. 2017Catalonia
  8. 2018Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
  9. 2018Leicester City F.C.
  10. 2019Islamic State
  11. 2019The Mocking of Christ (Cimabue)

Also in 2019

  • March 14Cyclone IdaiCyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1,000 deaths.
  • September 14Abqaiq–Khurais attackDrone attacks on major processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais forced Saudi Arabia to cut more than half of its oil production.
  • September 14YemenYemen's Houthi rebels claim responsibility for an attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
  • November 17COVID-19The first known case of COVID-19 is traced to a 55-year-old man who had visited a market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
  • October 22Same-sex marriage in Northern IrelandSame-sex marriage is legalised, and abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Assembly not being…
  • August 10Typhoon LekimaHaving already caused severe flooding in the Philippines, Typhoon Lekima made landfall in Zhejiang, China, killing 45 people in the provi…
  • August 10Jeffrey EpsteinJeffrey Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Ne…
  • August 102019 Bærum murder and mosque attackPhilip Manshaus shoots his stepsister and attacks a mosque in the Bærum mosque shooting.

Everything we record for 2019 →

Sources

Cite this page

“The Mocking of Christ (Cimabue)”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/the-mocking-of-christ-cimabue-2019-october-27, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did The Mocking of Christ (Cimabue) happen?

October 27 2019 — 7 years ago, on a Sunday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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