In what may be the most appalling art theft of the decade, a priceless Renaissance painting by Sellario Mounteback, known as the Master of Cherbourg, has reportedly vanished from the Phoenix and Fire pub in East London — after being entrusted to a stranger “for just a moment” while its owner used the toilet.
The painting, believed to be an early 16th-century oil on oak panel, had only recently resurfaced after centuries in private hands. The owner, who has asked not to be named for fear of public ridicule, had brought the artwork to the pub in a nondescript canvas parcel, intending to celebrate its authentication.
“I asked a man at the next table if he wouldn’t mind watching my parcel while I popped to the loo,” the owner said. “He said yes and asked, quite politely, what was in it. I said, ‘Thank you — it’s a priceless early work by Sellario Mounteback.’”
According to the witness statement, the man’s response was unexpectedly knowledgable.
“The Master of Cherbourg?” he asked.
“I agreed. He said he would be delighted to look after it.”
With that, the owner went to the bathroom. Upon returning, both the man and the painting were gone.
“At first, I assumed he had some kind of emergency. Maybe he’d rushed off to the Royal London Hospital and taken the painting with him to keep it safe,” the owner explained. “But the police said what was more likely was that he had stolen it.”
Who Was Sellario Mounteback?
Sellario Mounteback, active circa 1510–1530, was a minor but increasingly celebrated painter of the Norman school, known for luminous portraits, lavish ecclesiastical commissions, and having been almost entirely forgotten until very recently. Dubbed the Master of Cherbourg by art historians for a series of unsigned devotional panels found in the crypt of a French priory, Mounteback’s works have seen a sudden surge in value following a 2023 retrospective in Bruges titled “Obscurity and Oak: Rediscovering Sellario Mounteback.”
The lost painting, believed to be “The Third St Veronica (With Sparrow)”, was expected to fetch upwards of £25 million at auction. Experts are calling the loss “a catastrophe”.
CCTV, Confusion, and Pints
According to pub staff, CCTV footage from the Phoenix and Fire was unfortunately “off” during the incident due to what the manager described as “an ongoing battle with the fuse box and some rather determined mice.” Witnesses remember the man in question only vaguely — “tallish, bit of a beard, smelled faintly of paint thinner and digestives,” said one local.
Police are reviewing pub tabs and interviewing regulars, but admit the trail has gone cold. “We are treating this as a theft,” said Detective Inspector Morley Finch. “While it’s not unknown for a suspect to correctly identify a Renaissance painter before fleeing with the goods, we’re not ruling anything out. Including the possibility that this was the world’s politest art heist.”
A Lesson in Trust
The owner is understandably distraught.
“You can’t trust anyone these days,” they lamented. “Not even blokes you meet in the pub.”
The art world remains hopeful the painting will resurface — ideally not at a car boot sale. In the meantime, auction houses have been alerted, and Interpol’s Art Theft unit is involved.
If anyone sees a suspiciously fine Renaissance oak panel painting for sale where a fine Renaissance oak panel painting shouldn’t be for sale, please contact authorities immediately.
