'Cleopatra' Comin' at Ya: Chunk of Lost Silent Epic Found on eBay

In what is being called one of the greatest film finds in decades, a sharp-eyed collector appears to have discovered 41 seconds of 1917's "Cleopatra," considered perhaps the most important lost film.

Starring silent era seductress Theda "The Vamp" Bara, the epic was one of the biggest productions of its era, costing $500,000 and employing 2,000 people. In spite of being a well-remembered box-office smash, the only known copies of the film went up in smoke in a pair of fires at New Jersey and at the Museum of Modern Art.

Since then, mere seconds of the film had surfaced, along with many production stills, hinting at a lost visual feast.

On Thursday, collector James Fennell of Old Films and Stuff posted 41 seconds of incredibly pristine footage that appears to be from the film, saying he'd bought it sight unseen on eBay along with a 1920s toy film projector. Once he had it scanned and posted screengrabs, other film buffs helped confirm it was a holy grail of Hollywoodiana.

The tinted scenes reveal Bara — renowned for skin-baring costumes prior to the industry's strict Hays Code rules against provocative material — emoting vividly as the Egyptian queen. As troops and a sea of chariots advance, Cleopatra is led from a chamber by co-star Fritz Leiber (as Caesar), making her way to an intimate outdoor monument.

Her costume in the piece is a modest, flowing robe adored with Egyptian symbols, topped off by an elaborate gold headpiece.

Bara's tiara and earrings from the film sold at auction for $35,000 in 2013, while a coronation headdress bearing a vulture motif went for $58,500 just this year.

Watch a piece of "Cleopatra" that had been unseen for over 100 years: