Iconic ‘Roaring Lion’ Portrait of Winston Churchill Recovered in Italy After Brazen Hotel Theft – News18

An iconic portrait of Winston Churchill, known as The Roaring Lion, that was stolen from the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa, Canada, was recently recovered in Italy. The photograph was shot by renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1941 and ended up in the hands of a private collector in Genoa who had no idea of its status. The portrait was said to have been stolen during the Christmas holidays from December 25, 2021, to January 6, 2022, when the hotel was on a lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This photograph was taken by Karsh in 1941 immediately after the wartime leader made his speech to the Canadian parliament, and it became a symbol of Britain’s resolve during World War II.

In August 2022, the employees of the hotel discovered that the photograph which existed in one of the reading rooms located near the main lobby had been removed and substituted with a fake.

Two years later, Ottawa police claim that, due to information from the general public and forensic detection, they have identified the offender as a 43-year-old man who resides 370 kilometers from Ottawa.

“The portrait was sold through an auction house in London to a buyer in Italy, both of whom were unaware that the piece was stolen,” police said in a statement.

As per NBC News, the lawyer Nicola Cassinelli of Genoa, Italy, bought the portrait in an online Sotheby’s auction in May 2022 for 5,292 British pounds. He claims that he received a phone call from the auction house in October where he was told not to sell or transfer the portrait in any other way because of the probe into the Ottawa theft.

Cassinelli recalled to the publication that he was shocked to discover that the solution to the high-profile robbery was right there on the wall of the living room. According to reports, he will be present next Thursday at the Canadian Embassy.

The defendant was charged with theft, forgery, and trafficking in stolen items after his arrest in April.

“We are thrilled about the iconic Roaring Lion portrait returning to its rightful home at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier,” hotel general manager Genevieve Dumas told AFP.

“This portrait… is not only an irreplaceable work of art but also a significant piece of our hotel’s history,” she added.

The artwork will be collected in the following weeks and taken back to the hotel. Historical reports state that immediately before capturing Churchill’s photo, Karsh took a cigar out of his mouth, thereby causing the British prime minister to wince.

Perhaps the most well-known picture of Churchill was printed on the British five-pound note and has been seen in many circulations.

The first people to notice that the portrait had vanished were the maintenance personnel.

Former hotel visitors shared their photos of the photograph over time, contributing to the narrowing of the missing date, AFP reported.

The hotel, which had held Karsh’s inaugural exhibition in 1936, reportedly certified to the photographer’s heirs that a signature on the photograph was forged.