Stolen Salvator Rosa Painting Recovered in Romania, Two Artworks Still Missing

A painting by Salvator Rosa titled 'A Rocky Coast, With Soldiers Studying A Plan' from the late 1640s has been retrieved in Bucharest, Romania, four years after it was stolen from the Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford, UK in a £10 million heist in 2020. The other two stolen artworks, Anthony Van Dyck's 'A Soldier On Horseback' and Annibale Carracci's 'A Boy Drinking', remain missing.

The recovered Rosa painting was given to the Romanian police by a man who had sold the other two pilfered artworks, which are believed to be somewhere in Europe. The man is being treated as a witness and has not been arrested. Thames Valley Police is working with Romanian authorities, Eurojust, and Europol to continue the investigation and recover the remaining stolen paintings.

The three valuable paintings were part of a collection that had been on public display at Christ Church since 1768. The total value of the stolen artworks was estimated at £10 million. The recovery of the Salvator Rosa painting was facilitated by Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, and involved coordination between the UK and Romanian authorities.

Why this matters: The theft of these historically significant artworks was a substantial setback for the Christ Church Picture Gallery and the wider art community. The recovery of the Salvator Rosa painting represents an important step in the ongoing efforts to locate and return all the stolen works, which are of immense cultural value.

Jacqueline Thalmann, curator of the Christ Church Picture Gallery, expressed gratitude for the recovery of the Rosa painting, stating, "The painting is one of our most loved works and its return brings huge joy and relief to the college community." She appealed for any information that could help retrieve the other two missing artworks, emphasizing their importance to the gallery's collection and British and European culture.

Key Takeaways

• Salvator Rosa painting stolen from Oxford in 2020 recovered in Romania
• Two other stolen artworks by Van Dyck and Carracci remain missing
• Recovered painting returned to Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford
• Theft was a substantial setback, recovery a step towards full recovery
• Authorities working to locate and return the remaining stolen paintings