The painting, a 46-centimetre by 37-centimetre work entitled La petite Jeanne, was offered to the Mihály Munkácsy Museum in Békéscsaba, the seat of Békés County in Southeast Hungary, before the owner takes it to auction.
Mihály Munkácsy Museum director Imre Szatmári and Hungarian National Gallery expert Judit Boros travelled to Switzerland to confirm the painting's authenticity. Szatmári said the museum could not afford to buy the work, but it was still important to view it.
Munkácsy made the painting in or around 1888. It is thought to depict the same female model as another famous Munkácsy painting entitled Flirt.
The owner of the painting is Alexis Brasseur, the great grandson of Leopold Brian who was a cousin to Munkácsy's wife.
