A 13th-century masterpiece entitled Christ Mocked barely escaped the garbage dump, CBN reports.

The small wood panel by Italian painter Cimabue depicted Jesus being mocked by the crowd prior to His crucifixion was only discovered a few years ago.

Its then owner, an elderly French woman, who was moving to a new home, decided she would throw out those things she no longer needed.

This included a small, 10″ by 8″ wooden panel that had hung over her stove for years.

However, before throwing these items out, the family decided at the last minute to have them checked over by experts in case they might be worth something.

The appraiser immediately suspected there was something unique about this wood panel and had it shipped off to a Paris specialist for further examination.

The painting sold for $26.8 million at auction in 2019.

Experts believe it was part of an eight-panel set depicting the crucifixion of Christ.

The Louvre Museum recently purchased the painted panel which was declared a ‘national treasure’ by the French government.

READ: 13th Century Masterpiece of Jesus Gets Rescued Right Before Being Tossed in the Garbage