Stolen Churchill Portrait Recovered and Returned to Ottawa Hotel

An Italian lawyer unknowingly bought the original 1941 photograph, leading to its eventual recovery.

Nicola Cassinelli, an Italian lawyer, purchased what he believed was a copy of Yousuf Karsh's 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill for £4,200 from Sotheby's in 2022.
The photograph, known as 'The Roaring Lion,' was stolen from the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa and replaced with a forgery between December 2021 and January 2022.
Cassinelli discovered he had the original after Sotheby’s contacted him during an investigation; he decided to return it despite not being legally obligated.
The portrait was handed over to Canadian authorities in Rome and has been reinstalled at the hotel with enhanced security measures.
Jeffrey Iain James Wood from Ontario has been charged with forgery, theft, and trafficking related to the photograph's theft.