A portrait of George Maule by German painter Johann Zoffany has been returned to its original owners after being lost for 30 years.
The painting was stolen in 1979 from an English family and turned up many years later in Gianni Versace’s home at his villa on Lake Como.
With furniture and artwork from the villa going on auction by Sotheby’s last year, the painting was withdrawn over confusion about the legal ownership.
With ownership of the painting having been established as belonging to that of a family in Dorset, the Versace Foundation has given back the artwork.
It’s understood that Gianni Versace didn’t know the painting had been stolen when he bought it.
Around the time of the auction last year, the painting was recognised by a descendant of the subject and the original owners then got in touch with the Art Loss Register, producing a photograph of the painting as it hung in their house before it was stolen.
According to reports, the issue was settled amicably between the Versace foundation and the family.
The painting’s value is estimated to be between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds.
For curiosity’s sake, we wonder how many Versace clothes and accessories you can buy for that amount.
