A woman in the United States will soon be $US100,000 richer after she unwittingly bought a Renoir masterpiece at a flea market.
The unnamed woman bought a box of random items, including the painting by French master Pierre-Auguste Renoir, for $US50 in the US state of Virginia.
Her mother later convinced her to take it to a local auction house after noticing Renoir's faded signature on the back.
The director of the Potomack auction house, Anne Craner, says she took one look at the painting and knew it was the work of the French master.
"She opened up the bag and straight away it just looked right," she said.
"I mean it's the colour, it's the vibrant colour, it's the pinks and the purples. Renoir is known for his rapid brush strokes. And colour is really important with Renoir."
Ms Craner believes the painting is a lost treasure from Renoir. The river scene with vibrant purples and pinks from about 1879 has not been seen for almost a century.
But when the woman first snapped up the box, it was a doll and a plastic cow that caught her eye.
She stuffed the painting into a white rubbish bag and moved from place to place.
She was even tempted to throw it out, but auctioneers predict the painting will now earn her $100,000 when it goes under the hammer on September 29.
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