Italian Government
National Heritage Protection: the Carabinieri retrieve a stolen portrait of Winston Churchill
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The Carabinieri of the National Heritage Protection Unit gave back to the Canadian authorities a 1941 photographic portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, stolen from a hotel in Canada: “The Roaring Lion” is one of the most famous and widely reproduced Churchill photos.
The black-and-white portrait was taken on 30 December 1941 by Yousuf Karsh, after the historical speech on WWII held by the British statesman at the Chamber of Commons in Ottawa.
Thanks to the skills of the photographer -who is said to have plucked the famous cigar out of Chrurcill’s mouth just before taking the photo-, the annoyed, belligerent expression on Churchill’s face became so iconic that it was used as the symbol of Britain’s defence and even printed on the five pounds note.
The portrait, that had been donated to a hotel in Ottawa, was stolen somewhere between 25 December 2021 and 6 January 2022, and replaced with a fake.
The Carabinieri National Heritage Protection unit found the portrait, which had been unknowingly bought by an Italian citizen at an auction, and gave it back to the Canadian authorities.
