Works by Vincent Van Gogh, Dalí and Velazquez: the lost paintings that were recovered in 2023

One of the versions of the “Immaculate” of Diego Velazquez that remained hanging over the head of a bed for almost a hundred years, a painting of Vincent van Gogh dated 1884 and two charcoal drawings made by the Catalan artist Salvador Daliare some of the works that were recovered throughout 2023, according to a survey carried out by Hiscox, an international company specialized in art insurance.

Just as the world of art opens up from time to time to the unexpected, finally attributing to a famous artist works whose authorship had initially been granted to his disciples – this happened some time ago, for example, with the work “Tobias and his wife”, painted by Rembrandt. but erroneously linked to one of his students -, there is also occasionally the discovery of a long-lost painting or artistic piece, looted within the framework of some colonialist policy or stolen with an unknown whereabouts.

During 2023, several significant works were recovered thanks to a search and identification process, in some cases from a casual trigger and in others as a result of a thorough investigation, according to a study just released by the company Hiscox, specialized in insurance. of art.

A masterpiece that hung over the head of a bed for almost a century

One of the most notable finds was that of a work by Velázquez, titled “Immaculata with the Child”a work that had been donated to the Santa Magdalena parish in Seville by Soledad de Rojas, a woman who had received it as part of the family heritage and kept it for 97 years on the headboard of her bed.

The painting is a representation of a young Virgin Mary carrying the Child Jesus in her arms, both inert and weightless, as if floating in the middle of the scene; she with a deep look and he observing the viewer.

Before her death, which occurred on July 23, 2020, the woman left the painting as an inheritance to the Magdalena parish and, from there, it was sent to the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage to restore it. Thus, the experts discovered that it was the work of a young man Diego de Velazquezone of the greatest geniuses of the Spanish Baroque, painted when he was only 15 years old.

Thieves without expertise in front of two millionaire Dalí drawings

In 1922, Salvador Dali He made two charcoal drawings to illustrate an edition of “The graces of the Empordà”, a book by Pere Coromines that never saw the light of day. However, the works created by the Catalan painter for the occasion, “Vino rancio” and “The Sardanas of the main festival”, became property of the Coromines family in Barcelona. More than 100 years later, at the beginning of 2023, three thieves broke into the house and stole these two charcoals. When they tried to sell them, an anonymous buyer was the one who raised the alarm to the Mossos d’Esquadra, the autonomous police of Catalonia, who recovered the works, valued at 300,000 euros. The works were restored in February 2023.

A Van Gogh stolen during the pandemic and recovered by the “Indiana Jones of art”

A painting of Vincent van Gogh that had been stolen with a hammer in March 2020 from a museum in the Netherlands was recovered by a Dutch detective specialized in art, whom the European press has dubbed “the Indiana Jones of art” for his thorough investigations that have previously made it possible to find stolen works by Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso.

The detective Arthur Brand, such is the name of the “hero” of the operation, managed to find this work that the artist painted in 1884 and was stolen during the pandemic confinement from the Singer Laren Museum. The painting in question is called “Spring Garden” (in Dutch, Lentetuin, de pastorietuin te Nuenen in het voorjaaque) and represents the garden of the Nuenen parish house, where the artist lived for two years and where he conceived more than a quarter of his work, including his first masterpiece, “The Potato Eaters.”

The ancient jewels from the British Museum that were sold on eBay

In mid-August of this same year, those responsible for the British Museum They detected that between 1,000 and 2,000 gold jewels and semi-precious pieces dated to the 15th century BC from their collection and worth millions of pounds had disappeared, unleashing various rumors and controversies around this situation. Despite their historical and material value, a few days after the event it was reported that a portion of them, worth approximately £50,000, were being sold on the eBay platform for around £40. Even today, the London Metropolitan Police and the economic crime division of Scotland Yard are still trying to clarify the facts and recover the works stolen from the museum.

Inca treasure robberies

Another notable case is that of a request for certification of originality that led to the discovery of an 18th century painting in Peru. Almost 20 years ago, in 2005, five paintings were stolen from the Palacio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Regional Historical Museum in Cuzco, Peru. Between them, ‘The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan’a valuable oil on canvas from the 18th century and part of the country’s cultural heritage.

In February 2023, its then owner, a Peruvian citizen, requested its certificate of originality from the corresponding organization, who found a label and a cataloging code on the back of the canvas that indicated the origin of said museum.

After detecting it, the Recovery Directorate was immediately contacted, from which they were able to corroborate that it was one of these stolen works of art and, finally, it was able to return to its place of origin.