A painting of Tinherir by Winston Churchill, which he gave to General George Marshall, fetched an unexpectedly high price on the auction block.
The late British prime minister, a respected amateur artist, painted "View of Tinherir" in 1951 during one of his frequent trips to Marrakech in Morocco. In 1953 he gave it to Marshall as a symbol of Anglo-American solidarity.
Frankly, I am astonished that Marshall's heirs would have parted with such a priceless inheritance, and disappointed that they sold it to a private bidder rather than giving it to a museum. Greatness is not necessarily inherited, however.
I have always thought it remarkable that Churchill found a refuge in Marrakesh from his cares during and after the War.