Canadian and Italian dignitaries on Thursday celebrated the remarkable recovery of a stolen portrait of Winston Churchill, famously known as “The Roaring Lion.” The photograph, which vanished in Canada, was recovered in Italy following an intensive two-year police search.
At an official ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Rome, the portrait was handed over by the Italian Carabinieri police to Elissa Goldberg, the Canadian ambassador to Italy. Ambassador Goldberg commended the collaborative efforts of Italian and Canadian investigators that led to the portrait’s safe recovery.
The 1941 portrait, captured by Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh, has overcome many hurdles en route to returning to its rightful home at the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa, where it was originally stolen. It will once again be displayed prominently as a notable historic artifact.
Canadian authorities reported that the portrait was stolen from the hotel between Christmas 2021 and January 6, 2022, and was surreptitiously replaced with a counterfeit. The deception was not uncovered until months later in August when a keen-eyed hotel worker noticed discrepancies in the frame’s alignment and appearance, leading to the discovery of the forgery.
Nicola Cassinelli, a lawyer based in Genoa, Italy, unknowingly purchased the portrait in May 2022 at an online Sotheby’s auction for 5,292 British pounds. In October, Sotheby’s informed him about the ongoing investigation into the Ottawa theft and advised him not to sell or transfer the portrait.
Cassinelli, who was present at the ceremony, explained that he believed he was acquiring a standard print. Once he understood the portrait’s significant history, he willingly chose to return it to the Chateau Laurier. “I immediately decided to return it to the Chateau Laurier, because I think that if Karsh donated it to the hotel, it means he really wanted it to stay there, for the particular significance this hotel had for him, and for his wife too,” he said.
The iconic photograph was taken during Churchill’s wartime visit to the Canadian Parliament in December 1941 and played a pivotal role in launching Karsh’s illustrious career. Karsh’s portfolio includes portraits of some of the 20th century’s most renowned figures, such as Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and Queen Elizabeth.
Karsh and his wife Estrellita had generously gifted an original signed print of the photograph to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in 1998. The couple had lived and maintained a studio within the hotel for nearly two decades.
On Thursday, Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, expressed profound gratitude. “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everybody involved in solving this case and ensuring the safe return of this priceless piece of history,” she said.
Police have apprehended a 43-year-old man from Powassan, Ontario, and charged him with stealing and trafficking the portrait. The suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed due to a publication ban, faces multiple charges, including forgery, theft over $5,000, and trafficking in property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000.
