In 1995, a priceless painting was stolen from an English country house. The “Rest on the Flight into Egypt” by Titian, an Old Master painter from Venice, vanished without a trace. However, thanks to the efforts of Charles Hill, a former Scotland Yard detective who passed away in 2021, the painting was recovered in 2002 at a bus stop after a tip-off.
Hill offered a £100,000 reward for information leading to the painting’s recovery. After receiving a tip, he located the painting in a red, white and blue shopping bag at a bus stop in west London. The Titian painting belonged to a British noble family who had owned it after it was sold in 1878. Its theft caused distress to the family.
Despite initial reports of the painting’s worth at £5 million, it sold for £17.5 million at Christie’s auction house recently. This incident highlights how stolen artwork can maintain its value and desirability over time, further illustrating the complexities of the art market and the significant role of recovery efforts. The theft of masterpieces is not uncommon but thieves tend not to sell them due to their distinctive nature and instead respond positively to rewards offered by detectives like Charles Hill.
This remarkable sale of Titian’s “Rest on the Flight into Egypt” sets a new record for Christie’s auction house and underscores how much collectors are willing to pay for artworks that have been stolen but eventually recovered. It is also evidence of how valuable art can be even after being taken illegally and highlights the need for continued efforts by law enforcement agencies to recover stolen artwork and protect it from being resold or damaged by criminals.
