ATHENS – Greek police have recovered a 17th-century painting by Flemish master Pieter Paul Rubens stolen from a museum in Belgium a decade ago.
The artwork, dating from 1618 and stolen in 2001, was “a particularly important painting”, the culture ministry said. The artwork had been examined by experts from the ministry and determined to be genuine and “of priceless value”, Greek police spokesman Panagiotis Papapetropoulos said.
“The painting is being kept at the antiquities department of the greater Athens police,” Mr Papapetropoulos said. Two Greeks were arrested.
One work that was stolen in 2001 in Belgium was an oil sketch attributed to Rubens and snatched from the Fine Arts Museum in Ghent by three masked robbers.
The ministry and police said a second raid yesterday led to the arrest of another six Greeks and the recovery of stolen antiquities: three prehistoric bronze items, a metal seal and a manuscript with Arabic script. – (AP)