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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/dutch-art-sleuth-indiana-jones-art-world-stolen-paintings>
"A Dutch art detective known as the “Indiana Jones of the art world” has
recovered a further six paintings, including a portrait of William of Orange
and the first depiction of a 7th-century king.
Arthur Brand, who made headlines around the world last month when he recovered
a stolen Van Gogh stuffed in an Ikea bag, believes his widely publicised
success has led to further discoveries.
Thieves made off with six paintings from the town hall of Medemblik, in the
north of the country, last month.
While the monetary value of the haul is not huge – about €100,000 (£87,000) –
the paintings are considered of great historical significance. They include the
earliest known portrait of Radbod, the king of the Frisians from AD680.
Brand said he had been sitting at home on Friday night watching football when
the doorbell rang and a man in a van asked him for help to unload some
merchandise. “I asked him, ‘What are we going to unload?’. He said with a
smile, ‘Well, the paintings of Medemblik’,.”
After the initial burglary in September, Brand had been widely quoted in the
Dutch press as saying the thieves should have stolen six bikes, as these would
be easier to resell.
Those comments, plus the publicity surrounding the Van Gogh recovery, probably
led the thieves to simply hand the paintings back, Brand said.
“In some cases, they burn them, just to get rid of the evidence because they
find out they cannot sell them,” he added. “So I’m very thankful that they
decided to do the right thing. Stealing is wrong, but if you return it, at
least you do something right.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
