A Renaissance painting that was stolen and found seven years later at a London bus stop is expected to fetch up to £25million at auction.
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, which was painted by Renaissance master Titian, was stolen in 1809 and then again in 1995.
It is expected to fetch between £15million and £25million when it is put under the hammer by Christie’s auction house in London on July 2.
The painting was inspired by a bible passage where Joseph fled to Egypt with Mary and a young christ after he was warned in a dream that Herod, the King of Judea, was intent on killing the child, a description on the Auction house website says.
Titian paints the Holy Family resting in a rural spot en route, taking a break on their tough journey.
The painting was first documented in the collection of a Venetian spice merchant in the early 17th century and since then it has been owned by various aristocrats, emperors and archdukes across Europe.
French troops looted the painting in 1809 for the Napoleon Museum, which was assembled by the Bonaparte family before it was eventually bought by the 4th Marquess of Bath at auction from Christie’s in 1878, the same auction house it will now be sold at.
The picture was taken to Longleat House, the 4th Marquess’s home in Wiltshire, where it has hung in the State Drawing Room pretty much ever since.
It made headlines in 1995 when it was stolen and then again in 2002 when it was found in a bag at a bus stop in south-west London by Charles Hill, a leading art detective of the day.
Mr Hill promptly returned the work to Longleat.
A description on Christie’s website said: “This is a painting, then, that has been coveted by aristocrats, archdukes and emperors alike: prized for its vividly coloured scene of familial affection within the natural world.
“Like its subjects, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt has been on a long and eventful journey - a journey that’s far from over.”
