Incomplete Titian painting fails to sell at London auction

An incomplete painting by the Italian master Titian failed to sell at auction Thursday, despite bidding teaching 3.7 million pounds ($6.5 million; €5.4 million).

Bidding for "Portrait of a Lady and Her Daughter" was less than the minimum price placed on the work so the seller did not part with the painting, &to=http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2001/04/17/3710.html' target=_blank>Christie's auction house said.

The Italian master began the painting, which is believed to show his daughter Emilia and one of his granddaughters, but never completed it, probably because he did not receive a commission.

After his death in 1576, one of his less-skilled pupils reworked the canvas to tell a Biblical story. It was re-titled "Tobias and the Angel" and ended up in the Barbarigo Collection in Venice.

The girl in the painting was given a male hairstyle to become Tobias. The woman grew wings and became the Archangel Raphael, who accompanied Tobias on a journey to recover money for his father.