  Only a dozen confirmed FU Orionis-type young outbursting stars (FUors) are
known today; this explains the interest in the recent FUor eruption of 2MASS
J06593158-0405277. Its outburst and expected decline will be subject to
numerous studies in the future. Almost equally important for the understanding
of the eruption mechanism, however, is the physical characterization of the
FUor's precursor. Here we analyze unpublished archival data and summarize - and
partly revise - all relevant photometry from optical to submillimeter
wavelengths. Our analysis implies that the FUor is possibly associated with
eight T Tauri star candidates and a strong Class 0 source. Adopting a distance
of 450 pc for the FUor, we derive a quiescent bolometric luminosity and
temperature of L_bol = 4.8 L_Sun and T_bol = 1190 K, typical for young Class II
sources. The central star has a temperature of T_eff = 4000 K, a mass of 0.75
M_Sun, and an age of about 6 x 10^5 yr. The SED implies a circumstellar mass of
0.01 - 0.06 M_Sun, and the system is surrounded by a faint infrared nebulosity.
Our results provide an almost complete picture of a FUor progenitor, supporting
the interpretation of future post-outburst studies.
