London – Rediscovered masterpiece by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902) is the highlight of Bonhams 19th Century and British Impressionist Art sale on 24 September at Bonhams New Bond Street, London. Départ du fiancé (Departure of the Betrothed) has an estimate of £400,000 - 600,000.

As Krystyna Matyjaszkiewicz, Art historian and expert on James Tissot, has commented: "There is no Tissot oil painting of equivalent date, importance or size as the Départ du fiancé in any British, US, Canadian or Australian public collection. Referenced in major exhibitions on the artist, the location of the picture has been a mystery until it was discovered recently in a private collection in the US."

Départ du fiancé (Departure of the Betrothed) was one of three major oil paintings by James Tissot accepted for exhibition in 1863 by the Paris Salon jury. Tissot's other two pictures exhibited in 1863 were Retour de l'enfant prodigue (Return of the Prodigal Son), and Départ de l'enfant prodigue à Venise (Departure of the Prodigal Son in Venice), both now in the collection of Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. The work was bought from Tissot in 1865 by art dealer Alphonse Goupil and has remained in private hands ever since.

Charles O'Brien, Head of 19th Century and British Impressionist Art at Bonhams, commented: "We are thrilled to have an opportunity to offer this important and early work by one of the most celebrated of all 19th century artists. It is a particularly exciting discovery and adds significantly to our understanding of the work of this 'blue-chip' artist. His appeal is truly international, and it is incredibly rare for a work of this significance to have remained in private hands since the 19th century. Its unbroken provenance and exceptional quality is sure to excite collectors."

The painting is the broadly based on Henri Leys' La Promenade hors les murs, in which Leys depicts Goethe's Faust courting the virginal Marguerite on a walk outside the town walls. Her family follow the couple at a discreet distance, while the scheming Mephistopheles observes from afar.

Départ du fiancé would be read as a scene from Faust and Marguerite when it was exhibited in New York at the Goupil gallery in 1866, but the narrative has been the subject of much debate over the years. It has been suggested that it depicts a family in religious exile, a soldier departing for war, or a fiancé leaving to seek work, a theme that became increasingly common with the industrialisation of 19th century. Though Tissot provided clues in the work, such as the engagement rings and the child waving farewell, the precise meaning is left to the interpretation of the viewer.

Born Jacques Joseph Tissot in the port city of Nantes in 1836, Tissot went by the name James from a young age and used the name professionally as an artist from his first acceptance at the Paris Salon in 1859. An intriguing character - artist, sharpshooter, spiritualist, Tissot's name would become synonymous with images of an age of elegance in London and Paris towards the end of the 19th century.

The work will be on view at Bonhams in Paris (6 Avenue Hoche) from 2-5 September before returning to London.