French government blocks sale of newly discovered drawing by German Renaissance master Hans Baldung

France’s culture ministry blocked the planned 23 March sale at Drouot Paris of a newly identified drawing by German Renaissance artist Hans Baldung Grien, issuing a 21 March decree declaring it a national treasure and barring export for 30 months. The silverpoint portrait of a woman (15.7 cm by 10.4 cm), signed with Baldung’s monogram and dated 1517, carried a pre-sale estimate of €1.5 million to €3 million and is identified by inscription as Susanna Pfeffinger of Strasbourg. Auctioneer Arthur de Moras said it is the only silverpoint portrait by Baldung still in private hands; Baldung drawings are rare, with around 250 known, and the last auction example sold in 2007 for more than $3.7 million at Christie’s New York. The work, owned by Pfeffinger descendants for about 500 years and discovered during a probate inventory, was attributed by Patrick de Bayser and validated by experts including Christof Metzger (Albertina, Vienna) and Dorit Schäfer (Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe); an export license application filed in November 2025 was rejected, giving French buyers time to raise funds.

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