ROME (AP) — On Thursday, dignitaries from Canada and Italy celebrated the successful recovery of a famed portrait of Winston Churchill, known as “The Roaring Lion.” The portrait was stolen in Canada and found in Italy after an extensive two-year investigation by law enforcement.
The ceremony took place at the Canadian Embassy in Rome, where representatives from the Italian carabinieri police formally handed the portrait back to Canadian ambassador to Italy, Elissa Goldberg. She emphasized the strong collaboration between Italian and Canadian authorities that made the recovery possible.
Originally captured by Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1941 during Churchill’s visit to the Canadian Parliament, this iconic portrait is now set to return to the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa, where it was stolen and will be showcased as an important piece of history once again.
According to Canadian police, the portrait was taken from the hotel sometime between Christmas of 2021 and January 6, 2022, replaced with a forgery. The theft was discovered months later, in August, when a hotel staff member noticed that the frame was oddly hung and seemed different from the other portraits.
The plot took a twist when Nicola Cassinelli, a lawyer from Genoa, Italy, acquired the portrait for 5,292 British pounds at an online Sotheby’s auction in May 2022. By October of the same year, he received a call from the auction house warning him not to sell or transfer the portrait due to an ongoing investigation related to the theft from Ottawa.
During Thursday’s ceremony, Cassinelli expressed his initial belief that he was merely purchasing a regular print. However, upon discovering the significance of the photograph, he quickly decided to return it to its rightful home. “I felt it was important to bring it back to the Chateau Laurier, as Karsh intended it to stay there, considering the special meaning the hotel held for both him and his wife,” he shared with The Associated Press.
This famous image not only marked a pivotal moment in history but also jumpstarted Karsh’s illustrious career, where he went on to photograph many prominent 20th-century figures, including Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1998, Karsh and his wife Estrellita gifted an original signed print of the portrait to the Fairmont Château Laurier. The couple had lived and operated a photography studio within the hotel’s premises for nearly twenty years.
Expressing her gratitude, Geneviève Dumas, the general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, stated, “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone involved in solving this case and ensuring the safe return of this invaluable piece of history.”
In connection with the theft, police arrested a 43-year-old man from Powassan, Ontario, in April. He faces multiple charges, including forgery, theft over $5,000, and trafficking in property gained through criminal activities. His identity remains protected under a publication ban.
