A painting dating from the beginning of the 16th century will be sold at auction on July 2 by Christie’s. Estimated to be worth nearly 30 million euros, the work was found at a bus stop in London (United Kingdom) in 2002. Following this unexpected discovery, experts looked into the history of the 63 cm by 46 cm canvas, which turned out to be valuable, CNN tells us.
Specialists estimated that the work was painted during the Renaissance by the Italian artist Tiziano Veallio, better known under the pseudonym Titian. The painting had even been identified as Rest during the flight to Egypt. The drawing depicts a scene from the Bible in which the Virgin Mary cradles her son Jesus in front of her husband Joseph. As the title suggests, it refers to the family’s departure to escape King Herod who wanted to kill the child.
Multiple changes of ownership
The painting belonged to several aristocrats over the years. It was stolen during the looting by Napoleonic troops in Vienna (Austria) in 1805 and taken to Paris. It reappeared ten years later and was purchased by private collectors. The work was then sold to John Alexander Thynne, fourth Marquess of Bath (United Kingdom), before being stolen in 1995 from his descendants.
This is after what series of mishaps the painting was found in 2002 in a plastic bag. Since then, he has not been lost from sight. “Like his subjects, Rest during the flight to Egypt has had a long and eventful journey,” Christie’s explained in a press release. The value of the painting was estimated by the auction house between 17 and 30 million euros.
