NEW YORK - A Manhattan art gallery owner who made an incredible discovery worth more than a million dollars is showing off his good fortune.

It involves a painting, "Aurora, Goddess of Morning,’” that was put up for auction in New York eight years ago, with an estimated value of $2,000 to $4,000.

That's when Manhattan gallery owner Christopher Bishop first saw it. He suspected the auction house didn't know what it was selling. Bishop says he thought the painting was something special.

"I knew immediately that it wasn't as described. It was described as a Dutch School painting not an Italian painting. I ran down to New York from Connecticut to see the painting. And when I got there I knew it as the real deal that it was by Guercino," said Bishop.

Guercino was an acclaimed Italian Baroque master from the 1600’s whose works are exhibited in the world's top museums. Studying Aurora, Goddess of Morning, Bishop thought the painting had tell-tale signs of the artist.

The bidding at the auction was spirited. Others also had a hunch the painting was special, but Bishop was more confident in his suspicions. He bought it for $74,000.

Yet many in the art world scoffed at Bishop's claims. Then, last year, a bit of luck. A Guercino sketch came up for auction. It looked like the Aurora painting. Bishop bought it for $25,000, then summoned a C expert from London to look at the sketch and the painting side by side. 

"We were able to examine the painting and the drawing together for the first time in 300 years. And it took him probably 10 minutes to understand he was looking at the real thing."

Guercino apparently did the sketch in preparation for painting Aurora. 

Now confirmed as a Guercino... Aurora, Goddess of Morning, the painting once valued at no more than $4,000, is estrimated to be worth $1.2 million to $1.6 million.

Bishop is displaying the painting and the sketch at his Upper East Side gallery, Christopher Bishop Fine Arts, for sale purposes, scholarly reasons -- and a little bit of gloating.

“There were people who didn't believe," Bishop said. "Everyone was wrong and I was right.”