A Dutch art detective dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world” has recovered six new paintings, including a portrait of William of Orange and the first known depiction of a 7th-century king.
• Also read: Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in 2020 robbery, found by the “Indiana Jones of the art world.”
Arthur Brand made headlines around the world last month when he found a stolen Van Gogh in an Ikea bag and believes the widely publicized success will lead him to further discoveries.
The six paintings found were stolen from the town hall of Medemblik in the north of the country last month.
Even if their monetary value is not huge – around 100,000 euros – the works still have a certain historical significance. One of these represents the oldest known portrait of Radboud, the King of the Frisians from 680 AD
Mr. Brand was quietly watching a football game on Friday evening when the doorbell rang and a man in a van asked him to help unload the goods.
“I asked him, ‘What are we going to unload?’ He replied with a smile: ‘Well, the Medemblik paintings,'” says the detective.
After the September break-in, Mr. Brand was widely quoted in the Dutch press as saying that the criminals should have stolen six bicycles, which were much easier to resell.
Those comments, as well as the publicity that accompanied Van Gogh’s recovery, likely prompted the thieves to simply return the paintings, Mr. Brand said.
“In some cases they burn them just to get rid of the evidence because they realize they can’t sell them,” he told AFP.
“So I’m very grateful that they decided to do the right thing. “Stealing is bad, but if you give it back, at least you are doing something good,” he added.
Mr. Brand hopes this momentum will also lead to the rediscovery of another lost masterpiece: “Two Laughing Boys,” a work by Frans Hals stolen in 2020.
He also plans to find traces of works stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston: paintings by Vermeer, Manet and Rembrandt worth a total of nearly $500 million.
The Medemblik authorities had promised a reward of 10,000 euros for the return of the paintings, but this sum was not claimed.
Mr. Brand said he would not ask for the money.
“I told them to give me a good book,” he joked.