An antiques dealer who throws open his historic home to the public is appealing to a thief who has stolen one of his most treasured possessions to return it “no questions asked”.

Robert Tucker, the co-owner of Restoration House, an Elizabethan mansion in Rochester, is pleading to the culprit to “post it back”.

The tiny Roman white slip terracotta head was snatched from the oak salon in the stately residence, so called as it was visited by King Charles II on the eve of his restoration, and holds sentimental value for Robert.

He said: “It’s only about two inches tall but powerfully and perfectly modelled and it was the first antiquity I ever bought and I shall miss it greatly.”

He picked it up from a dealer in London’s Portobello Road about 25 years ago and it’s worth between £200 and £300.

Robert, who bought the house with his partner Jonathan Wilmot in 2014, has been busy sifting through CCTV since it went missing, most likely on Friday, June 23.

Although crammed with antiques collected by the couple over the years, Robert noticed it had gone on the Saturday.

He said: “There’s a place for everything here. At first I thought it had been mislaid, but sadly not.

“It was quite quiet that day, and it’s small, so they probably thought they could take a chance.

“In our 23 years of being open to the public we have delighted in the fact that nothing has been stolen.

“Should the thief be reading this I can only ask you to return it to restore my faith in keeping the house open.

“We open the house for the immense pleasure it gives and the goodwill it creates. Please don’t destroy that.”

Although it is a private home, the house and Tudor garden – set in two acres – are open to the public during the summer months.

It was bought by English entertainer the late Rod Hull in 1986 for £270,000 to save it from being turned into a car park.

He spent another £500,000 renovating it but it was repossessed by the Receiver in 1994 to cover an unpaid tax bill..

The current owners have spent the past decade uncovering decoration schemes from the mid-17th century which reveal the fashionable taste of the era, greatly influenced by trends on the continent.