Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent

‘Lascivious’ Titian masterpiece set to fetch up to £12m at auction

Titian’s Venus and Adonis is hung at Sotheby's in London
Titian’s Venus and Adonis is hung by staff at Sotheby's in London on Friday. Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock

A Titian masterpiece once considered excessively lascivious is expected to fetch up to £12m when it is sold in December.

The painting by the celebrated 16th-century old master was one of a series depicting the tragic story of Venus and Adonis told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It is the most important work by Titian to be sold this century, according to the auction house Sotheby’s.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.