Chopin portrait bought at flea market is from 19th century

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A peeling portrait of Polish piano composer Frederic Chopin purchased at a flea market hung modestly in a private house in Poland for almost three decades before an expert dated the painting to the 19th century. The small painting now resides in a bank vault somewhere in eastern Poland while its owners negotiate their next steps. News of the artwork’s existence broke this week as Warsaw hosted the 18th Frederic Chopin Piano Competition. The art expert who examined the portrait says it has significant historic value, but he refrained from estimating what it might sell for. He says it’s not possible to pinpoint the exact year it was created and it will be difficult to identify the artist.