Titian’s Runaway Masterpiece Outpaces Time, Thieves, and Auction Records

A small wooden panel, painted over 500 years ago by Titian, just shattered records at Christie’s London, fetching a staggering £17.56 million. This isn’t just about numbers: "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" has a history as dramatic as its biblical subject. Once owned by emperors and aristocrats, the painting survived two high-profile thefts—Napoleon snatched it in 1809, and it vanished again from an English estate in 1995, only to resurface in a plastic bag years later. Its journey through hands both noble and notorious has only heightened its allure. The sale not only set a new high for Titian but also crowned the painting as the star of Christie’s Old Masters I auction, outshining even other record-breaking works that night. Proof that a masterpiece’s value isn’t just in its brushstrokes, but in the centuries of stories it carries. #Titian #ArtHistory #OldMasters #Culture