Three rare oil paintings of synagogue interiors by Marc Chagall are to be auctioned in New York.

The paintings came to the market for the first time in 66 years from a descendent of art collector and original owner Max Cottin, said Sotheby’s.

Mr Cottin acquired them from the 1945 exhibition at the Gallery of Jewish Art in New York. Only six finished oil paintings of synagogues by Chagall are known to exist. He died in 1985.

Leading the group for auction is the 1931 Interior of the Yemenite HaGoral Synagogue, Jerusalem, estimated to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000. The sale is part of Sotheby’s Israeli and International Art auction scheduled for December 14.

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