Vermeer painting sells for $28 million

LONDON, July 8 (UPI) -- A painting by 17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer thought to be a fake for decades brought more than $28 million at a London auction.

An anonymous telephone bidder purchased "A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals" Wednesday at Sotheby's in what was the first Vermeer painting auctioned since 1921 and which may be the last ever offered for sale, Britain's Telegraph reported Thursday.

The controversy over the painting's artist raged up until the auction, with some critics claiming the painting was too poor to be a Vermeer.

Seven months ago, a committee of Dutch museum experts attributed the painting to Vermeer, a crucial decision as all other known pictures by Vermeer are either in museums or in the British Royal Collection.

The painting, Vermeer's 36th work, had been regarded as a Vermeer original in the early 20th century when Sir Alfred Beit of Ireland owned the art. A forgery scandal in 1947, however, cast doubt over the identity of the original artist.