After to losing his job as a mechanic, Ahmed Ziani began buying and selling art. Spotting what he believed to be an unsigned work by the 18th century artist Vernet on Le Bon Coin, he offered the seller €700. The deal was accepted and once the work arrived at his home, Ziani’s 11-year-old son spotted a faint signature ‘A. Renoir 1864’ on the canvas…leading Ziani to do some much needed research. Since, the painting was sent to a specialist lab in Bordeaux where paint chips were confirmed to be of the same pigments used by Renoir during that period… Could this be Soir d’Ete? — the long-lost Paris Salon painting done when Renoir was just 23-years-old. While the authentication has not been officially confirmed yet, it looks as if Ziani’s ” €700 Vernet” may turn out to be a multi-million euro Renoir.
