Found in a London bus station, the painting sold for a staggering sum

PHOTO: Getty Images

A 16th-century painting stolen from a London home and later found at a bus stop has sold for $22.3 million. "The Rest on the Flight to Egypt," is an early work by the famous Italian painter Titian that depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph on their way to seek refuge in Egypt.

Christie's auction house announced the sale of this painting, 22 years after it was stolen and found by chance by a British detective.

"The famous painting, completed around 1502, was the highest priced piece sold at auction and set a record for any work by Titian," said a representative of the auction house.

The painting was bought by the 4th Marquess of Bath in 1878, before hanging on the walls of his family home for over a century. But, in 1995, this painting, along with two others, were stolen from this house. The painting was missing for seven years before it was finally recovered in 2002 by Charley Hill, a renowned art detective who worked for Scotland Yard, London's police force.

He offered a $130,000 reward and was contacted by a random informant. The latter instructed Hill to drive around London until they stopped at a bus stop where an elderly man was holding a bag with the painting inside.

PHOTO: Getty Images

"The problem with stealing a famous painting is that there's no way to sell it," Hill told The Telegraph after it was found. "But if a reasonable reward is offered, the painting may appear."

"This is a painting coveted by aristocrats precisely for its vividly colored scene of familial love within the natural world," the auction house said in an official statement revealing the staggering sale figure of nearly $22.3 million.

Titian, whose real name was Tiziano Vecellio, produced the work in the first decade of the 16th century, early in his career. Measuring just 46.2 by 62.9 centimeters, the painting is small compared to some of the massive works Titian became known for later in his career.

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Source: New York Post