Stolen Peter Brueghel Painting Rediscovered in Dutch Museum

An impressive painting that had been stolen has been rediscovered hanging on the wall of a regional Dutch museum, thanks to the efforts of an art detective and an antiques magazine. The 17th-century work by Peter Brueghel the Younger depicts a farmer’s wife carrying firewood in one hand and a water bucket in the other. It is believed to have been stolen from a Polish museum by intelligence agents in 1974. Arthur Brand, the art detective who confirmed the painting’s location in the Netherlands, stated: “Normally, when a piece goes missing for half a century, you rarely recover it. As time passes, the chances decrease… It was pure luck that everything fell into place.” The artwork, a masterpiece of Flemish art, was originally displayed at the National Museum in Gdansk, Poland. On April 24, 1974, a cleaner accidentally knocked it against the wall, revealing that it had been replaced with a photograph. Another sketch by Flemish artist Anton van Dyck titled ‘The Crucifixion’ had also been swapped with a replica. Both paintings were on Poland’s list of missing artworks until last year when the Dutch art and antiques magazine Vind (Find) wrote about a new exhibition at the Gouda Museum featuring the Brueghel painting, which was loaned by a private collector. The magazine’s editors identified a black-and-white photograph of the painting in Poland and contacted Brand to inquire if it could be the same piece featured in the Gouda Museum exhibit. After identifying five similar works by the Flemish painter and liaising with Dutch and Polish police and the museum, Brand located the painting. Poland has now officially requested the return of the artwork. “It’s very impressive,” said Brand. “And the story behind it is quite dramatic. It’s an extraordinary moment because it means so much to Poland – it’s been on their wanted list for 50 years,” he told the Guardian.