'Downing St' Canaletto to be sold

A painting by Italian master Canaletto that adorned the walls of 10 Downing Street is expected to fetch up to 8 million pounds when it is auctioned in London in July. View of the Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi to the Rialto was purchased by Sir Robert Walpole, England's first prime minister, in the 1730s. The painting hung in the First Floor Parlour of what was then Sir Robert's private London residence. After his death in 1745 it was sold by Walpole's son, Horace, for 30 guineas.The Sotheby's sale on 7 July marks the first time the painting has appeared at auction for almost 250 years. The world record for a Canaletto was set by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1992 when he paid 10 million for a view of Horse Guards, London. Irish Art