Stolen Winston Churchill 'Roaring Lion' portrait returned after ceremony in Italy

CTV National News: Roaring Lion returns home Natalie van Rooy reports on the return of the iconic 'Roaring Lion' photo to the walls of the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

ROME — A special ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Rome marked the successful recovery of an iconic portrait of Winston Churchill after a two-year search by Ottawa police.

Canada's Ambassador to Italy Elissa Golberg hosted the event. The two primary Ottawa police detectives who investigated the heist were also present, along with the general manager of the Chateau Laurier, where the portrait was stolen, and Italian Carabinieri police who assisted in the international search.

At the ceremony, which lasted about a half hour, the commander of the Carabinieri, Italy's national military police force, and the ambassador signed documents authorizing the transfer of art into Canadian hands.

“Canada believes strongly that the repatriation of works of art is crucial to preserving cultural heritage and fostering historical justice,” said Ambassador Golberg at the ceremony.

The photograph, called "The Roaring Lion," captures the former British prime minister glowering into the camera. Famed photographer Yousuf Karsh captured Churchill's defiant look after plucking the former prime minister's cigar from his mouth. Churchill sat for the portrait on Dec. 30, 1941, after giving a rousing wartime speech to the Canadian parliament.

The portrait is the most reproduced photograph of Churchill.

In 1998, Karsh and his wife Estrellita gifted an original signed print to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa.

The couple had lived and operated a studio inside the hotel for nearly two decades. The photo hung on the oak panelled wall of the hotel's reading room.

However, shortly after Christmas 2021 during COVID lockdowns, the signed portrait was removed and replaced by a fake, which was then put in a cheaper frame before being hung back up.

The theft was discovered months later in August 2022 by a hotel maintenance worker. By that time, the original had been sold by Sotheby's auction house in London, U.K., to a corporate lawyer in Genoa, Italy.

Sotheby's did not know the photograph was stolen when it auctioned off "The Roaring Lion."

In his remarks, Ottawa police detective Akiva Geller, the lead investigator on the case, highlighted the international cooperation required to repatriate the photograph. OPS worked with officers in the London Metropolitan Police and the Italian Carabinieri to narrow their search, while embassy staff assisted by securing the authorizations needed to bring the photo back to Canada.

“This case highlights the partnership between police services and countries. It shows that no matter what language we speak, or laws we uphold, we will work together to protect, preserve and recover,” said acting Sgt. Geller.

The portrait was not listed in stolen art databases when buyer Nicola Cassinelli paid more than 5,000 pounds, or the equivalent of more than C$9,000, for the work in May 2022.

He said he did not know the actual famed portrait, which he called the equivalent of a photographic "Mona Lisa," had been inside his home for nearly two years.

Cassinelli was only compensated for half the amount of his bid, but said he had no regrets because he was part of an experience which “could be a movie.”

In the 32 months since the Churchill portrait was surreptitiously taken, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) underwent a global search using crowdsourcing to narrow down the time frame of the theft. OPS worked with both British and Italian authorities to track down the signed original which was hanging in Cassinelli's living room.

The crime tore at the identity of the Chateau Laurier and in the initial stages, its staff, primarily maintenance worker Bruno Lair who discovered the theft, were considered suspects.

With the return of the photograph, the Chateau Laurier is made whole again.

"The significance of this portrait extends far beyond its artistic merit,” said Genevieve Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Dumas explained that Karsh lived in suite “358” with his wife Estrellita for 18 years.

“It’s a symbol of deep connection. ... The Roaring Lion is not only an iconic image, but also part of our hotel’s heritage,” Dumas said.

At the end of the ceremony, the portrait, which Dumas said is in “perfect condition,” was carefully placed in a police vehicle to be transported for shipping.

The hotel says the portrait will be rehung in the Chateau’s reading room on October 28 . Maintenance worker Bruno Lair will have the honour of placing Churchill back in his pride of place but under new security measures.

But while details have emerged of how Ottawa police cracked the case, little is known about how the suspected thief was able to carry out his heist. Those questions won't be answered in Italy but could be revealed in an Ottawa courtroom.

Jeffrey Wood, 43, of Powassan, Ont., faces multiple charges including theft over $5,000, forgery and trafficking in stolen property. As part of his bail conditions he must wear a GPS ankle monitor, is forbidden from contacting hotel staff and must live with his sureties. He also cannot venture beyond 50 kilometres from his rural Ontario home, except for medical needs, to attend court or meet with his lawyers.