Stolen alongside 12 other works in history's largest unsolved art theft. A three-figure interior at a harpsichord — among the finest surviving Vermeers — would command a record by an order of magnitude beyond any prior Vermeer sale. Title status makes legitimate sale extraordinarily complex. The closest modern comparable: Leonardo's Salvator Mundi at $450.3m, Christie's New York, November 2017.

Last sold by Christie's New York for $33.6m in 2008 — then the most expensive work by a living artist. UK and EU sanction-related asset freezes create ongoing legal ambiguity around title. Were it to emerge freely in 2026, the secondary Freud market has strengthened considerably — comparable Leigh Bowery canvases now clear £30m routinely.

Attribution confirmed by Professor Martin Kemp (Oxford) and supported by fingerprint analysis; contested by a minority of scholars. Current discount reflects attribution uncertainty alone — demand for confirmed Leonardo is essentially unlimited at any price. Were attribution definitively established, the work would likely rival Salvator Mundi.

Multiple investigations have linked its movement to the Sicilian Mafia; occasional credible sightings have been reported and dismissed over five decades. Were it to emerge legally and in good condition — a near-impossibility — the sale would be the cultural event of a generation.

Individual Bacchus panels of comparable scale have cleared $35m at auction. The Foundation holds the complete triptych in its original configuration. A consignment to a major New York evening sale would anchor an entire season. No indication of deaccessioning to date.