“The Apotheosis of the Arts” had been missing a two-by-two-foot portion depicting a cherub for more than 40 years.
Wikimedia CommonsThe incompleteLe Apoteosis de las Artesin Santo Domingo church building in 2011 .
On Nov. 7 , 1980 , six 17th - century tapestries went lose from the Santo Domingo Christian church in Castrojeriz , Spain . While Interpol recuperate them all within a few years , a corner section from the largest tapestry had been cut out . It was nowhere to be found for 42 class , until now — when authorities in conclusion tracked it down .
All six tapis had been single - handedly steal around dawn by infamous graphics thief René Alphonse Ghislain van lair Berghe , according toSmithsonian . Known to his black market place clients as “ Erik the Belgian , ” he successfully sold the tapestries to collectors around Europe — but kept a two - by - two - foot subdivision for himself .
Wikimedia CommonsThe incompleteLe Apoteosis de las Artesin Santo Domingo church in 2011.
He was caught in 1982 only to be released under the shape that he help police see steal goods across Europe . Van hideaway Berghe tragically took the position of the tapestry to his grave in 2020 . Last class , however , his lawyer help the Spanish National Police find it . Investigator Ángel Alcaraz uncover it on Feb. 18 , 2022 .
“ If heaven should miss one holy person it would be a lesser promised land , ” said Alcaraz . “ And if this tapestry had lacked this small holy person , it would n’t be the same tapestry . Today we are giving back to Castrojeriz something that should never have gone in the first post . ”
The tapestry in question was titledLa Apoteosis de las Artes , orThe Apotheosis of the Arts . It was made in 1654 in the Belgian town of Bruges by Corneille Schutz , a protege of creative person Peter Paul Rubens . One in a series of six , the tapestry describe the principal bighearted art categories of education in mediaeval Europe .
Spanish National PoliceThe lower-left corner piece of the Flemish tapestry that was recently recovered.
This sixth tapestry was the largest of all and measured 20 by 13 feet , consort toThe Guardian . The other five tapestries each depicted one liberal art : medicine , astronomy , math , grammar , and philosophy .
The visually stunning serial certainly move van den Berghe . He had not only studied the arts but curated a fertile web of wealthy collectors and unscrupulous purchaser from his native city of Nivelles , Belgium . He and his clients largely traded in good stolen from castle or from abandoned World War II - geological era homes .
“ Everything is sluttish to slip , ” he told El Pais in 2012 . “ It depends on who commission you . They put in alarms , but whoever has localize them shows you how to disconnect them . They ’re not a problem . The important thing is to have a client . ”
Archdiocese of BurgosThe piece was publicly returned to the Archdiocese of Burgos on Feb. 18, 2022.
Spanish National PoliceThe lower - left corner firearm of the Flemish tapestry that was latterly retrieve .
There were certainly no alarms when van den Berghe stole all six tapestries from the Santo Domingo church in November 1980 . Interpol at long last go back all six from disparate buyers in Spain , Belgium , and France . alas , however , a two - by - two - foot section from the lower - left street corner of the sixth tapestry was pass .
The square objet d’art depict a cherub , which was one of many lowly angel that beautify the edge of all six tapestries . Van den Berghe had fail to sell it before getting arrested in 1982 . By that point , the 42 - twelvemonth - old thief had stolen an estimated 6,000 precious physical object .
“ He also led an organized group dedicated to stealing religious artwork — sometimes at the behest of moneyed collectors who were after a specific piece , and sometimes with an heart on an promiscuous sale on the international black market , ” said the Spanish National Police .
Archdiocese of BurgosThe piece was publicly returned to the Archdiocese of Burgos on Feb. 18 , 2022 .
He was only behind bars for three year , however , as the police found his skills too utilitarian to hurtle aside . Van den Berghe was countenance to live freely on the island of Málaga , but only if he assisted the constabulary . With his cooperation , they recovered one thousand of stolen goods — until van den Berghe died at 80 years onetime in 2020 .
For the art stickup obsessive , van den Berghe published his autobiography , Erik the Belgian — For the Love of Art , before he died . He argued that he was n’t a modest - meter turn and preferred to be known as “ a gamey - year thief . ” When asked if was remorseful for his career as a thief , however , he respond rather cheekily .
“ But I am a ally of Saint Peter , ” he said . “ I ’ve sell a lot of Saint Peter statues and I ’ve hold open a luck . And if , when I make it in paradise , he throw me into the flame , I ’ll inject him twice . ”
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