In 1995, the painting was discovered in a plastic bag at a bus stop in London. Its size is 46.2 x 62.9 cm.
A painting by Italian Renaissance master Titian, once found at a bus stop in London, has been sold at auction for a tidy sum. CNN reported it.
In particular, Holiday on the Road to Egypt was auctioned at Christie’s for $22.3 million. Before the auction began, the masterpiece was estimated at 15-25 million pounds sterling ($19-32 million).
The painting depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph resting on their journey to Egypt after learning that Herod, who ruled Judea, wanted to kill the baby Jesus.
Measuring 46.2 x 62.9 cm, the painting is considered small compared to some of the larger works for which Titian, whose real name was Tiziano Vecellio, became famous in the latter part of his life.
He created his work of art, Rest on a Journey to Egypt, in the first decade of the 16th century, at the beginning of his career.
After passing from the hands of several European aristocrats to others, the painting was stolen by Napoleon’s troops during the French occupation of Vienna in 1809 and taken to Paris.
In 1815, it was returned to Vienna and again found its way into private collections until it came into the possession of John Alexander Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath, in Wiltshire, England.
In 1995, she was abducted from Longleat, the home of Thynne’s descendants, and disappeared for 7 years until she was found at a London bus stop by detective Charles Hill.
Earlier it was reported to be a watercolor illustration for the first book of JK Rowling’s series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold at auction for $1.9 million.
Source: korrespondent
