Masterpiece found in plastic bag sells for £17.5m

A painting described as a masterpiece which was found in a plastic bag after being stolen has sold for £17.6m at auction.
Rest On The Flight Into Egypt, painted by Venetian master Titian when he was aged just 20 in 1510, was sold by London auction house Christie's.
The work was stolen from the drawing room of stately home Longleat in Wiltshire in 1995, but was found seven years later without its frame in a plastic carrier bag in London.
Its sale sets a new world auction record for the artist, auctioneers said.
'Unique rarity'
Lord Bath, who succeeded his father as the Marquess of Bath in 2020, inheriting the Longleat estate, said the painting had an "extraordinary history".
Speaking ahead of the sale, he said: "We have a considerable long-term investment strategy at Longleat and have decided to sell this asset to further this agenda at a time when the market for paintings of such unique rarity is so strong."
The picture, which depicts Mary cradling Jesus as Joseph looks on, is 2ft (60cm) wide and painted on a wooden panel.
It has had many owners over the years, including Austrian Emperor Joseph II, before being hung at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna.
French troops looted the painting in 1809 for the Napoleon Museum, which was assembled by the Bonaparte family.
It was later owned by a Scottish landowner before being bought by the fourth Marquess of Bath in 1878 at a Christie's auction.
After being stolen in 1995, it was recovered in 2002 by former Scotland Yard detective Charles Hill after a £100,000 reward was offered for information.
Mr Hill is also credited with helping to recover Edvard Munch's The Scream after it was stolen in 1994, as well as other famous artworks.
'Truly outstanding example'
Speaking ahead of the auction, Andrew Fletcher, Christie's global head of the Old Masters Department, said it was the most important work by Titian to come to the auction market "in more than a generation".
He added that the picture was "a truly outstanding example of the artist's pioneering approach to both the use of colour and the representation of the human form in the natural world".
He said the piece secured Titian's status as "one of the greatest painters in the history of Western art".
The painting had had an auction estimate of £15m-£20m.
Source: bbc.com
Trending News
With unity and consistency, we can regain the trust of Ghanaians - Bawumia to NPP
17:28Commissioner-General of Ghana Boundary Commission calls on GCAA to formally introduce himself
20:47President Mahama holds emergency security council meeting over Bawku chieftaincy conflict
10:56NDC welcomes NPP’s ‘Reset’ as step toward national unity and progress
14:45Samsung boss cleared of fraud by South Korea's top court
17:32Small-Scale Miners disown anti-galamsey taskforce allegation against top NDC officials
10:33Bawumia accorded the most thunderous welcome at Legon delegates conference
16:35Sunyani West MP urges caution in political rhetoric to prevent violence
08:35Energy Minister to outline sector progress at Government Accountability Series today
10:15NPP holds National Delegates Conference at Legon to chart new path for party
14:02