The 1837 work, Charles I Insulted By Cromwell's Soldiers, was shredded with 200 tears during a 1941 attack on London which left a three-metre deep crater in a nearby street.

But after being rolled up in storage for almost seven decades, the painting is to be seen once more when it features in a Delaroche exhibition at the National Gallery to open next year.

The collection of works to be shown include one of his most famous and best-loved creations, The Execution Of Lady Jane Grey which he painted in 1833.

The French artist is renowned for his series of great historical paintings, including many important scenes from English history. The Charles I work was commissioned by Lord Francis Egerton – later to become the 1st Earl of Ellesmere – and shown at the Paris Salon of 1837.

It hung for decades at the London home of the Ellesmere Family, Bridgewater House in St James's, until the bombing raid on May 11, 1941. To prevent further deterioration, it was immediately removed from its frame and covered with paper, then rolled up and moved to a house in the Scottish Borders.