Ritz renovation reveals 17th-century Le Brun painting

1. Ritz renovation reveals 17th-century Le Brun painting http://www.france24.com/en/20130125-ritz-renovation-uncovers-le-brun-painting-paris

2. News : Reading Renovations at Paris's Ritz hotel have uncovered a painting identified as the work of 17th-century artist Charles Le Brun, official painter at the court of Louis XIV. Painting will be auctioned at Christie's for an estimated €500,000. It is the art world's equivalent of finding a precious gold coin down the back of a sofa. The oil painting has been identified by experts as an early work by Le Brun (1619-1690) that would have been completed before he became the official painter at the court of Louis XIV and established his reputation as one of the dominant figures of 17th century French art. When exactly it was installed in the hotel remains a mystery. The hotel archives offer no clue as to how the painting ended up there.

3. News : Reading "A colleague then found the initials CLBF, which stand for Charles Le BrunFecit (Le Brun did this) and a date, 1647. “Olivier Lefeuvre, a Christie's France specialist in the period, said he was blown away when he first saw the painting. The painting depicts the killing of Trojan princess Polyxena after she was implicated in the death of Achilles. In the absence of any historical records, Christie's have named the painting as "The Sacrifice of Polyxena." "Mohamed Al Fayed decided to sell it because he thinks its quality means it should be in a museum," Friedman said. "It deserves to be part of a major collection."

4. Compréhension How did Paris's Ritz hotel uncovered the painting ? What is the estimated value of the painting? When was the painting installed in the hotel? In the absence of any historical records, Christie's have named the painting as? Mohamed Al Fayed decided to sell the painting because..?

5. Vocabulary Can yougive a definition of: Uncovered Precious Reputation Mystery Specialist Depicts

6. Writing Request user to write sentences or specificwords. Renovation necessary to stay with the demand or ahead of the competitors Uncovering something which means a lot Giving it back where it belongs

7. Conversation Can you name the hotel you visited last? Do you ever notice paintings which are hung on walls of the hotels? Have you ever discovered something which has a value? Have you ever established something in the memory of a closed one? How did you feel about it?