The National Gallery in London will send Edouard Manet’s The Execution of Maximilian on a tour of the UK. The painting will be the first work to embark on the three-year Masterpiece Tour, which is part of the National Gallery’s commitment to promote the understanding, knowledge and appreciation of Old Master paintings. In 2015, Canaletto’s A Regatta on the Grand Canal will join the Masterpiece Tour, followed by Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 63 in 2016. Christie’s auction house is supporting the museum’s effort, AFA News reported.

The Execution of Maximilian depicts the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian being executed alongside two of his generals. Mexican forces captured Maximilian, who was installed in Mexico as a puppet emperor by Napoleon III, when Napoleon withdrew his French troops, who were occupying Mexico. After its completion in 1868, the painting was cut into smaller pieces, some of which were sold individually. Degas eventually purchased all of the surviving fragments and reassembled them on a single canvas.

The Execution of Maximilian will travel to The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge (January 17-March 16, 2014), The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle (March 22-May 18, 2014) and the Mead Gallery at the University of Warwick (September 27-December 6, 2014).