Lost And Found
Not all stolen treasures stay lost. Some resurface in dusty attics, abandoned warehouses, or even the hands of unsuspecting collectors. A few of these 24 stolen artifacts have been recovered in dramatic or downright lucky circumstances. Check ‘em out.
The Mona Lisa
Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman and former Louvre employee, pulled off one of the most daring art heists in history. On the morning of August 21, 1911, he hid inside a storage closet overnight, and when the museum was empty, he removed The Mona Lisa from its protective case and walked out.
Mona Lisa (Cont.)
Peruggia, a staunch Italian nationalist, believed the painting rightfully belonged in Italy, as it was created by Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian master. For two years, The Mona Lisa remained missing, baffling authorities and fueling wild speculation. Even Pablo Picasso was briefly questioned about the theft.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Mona Lisa (Cont.)
The culprit was only caught in 1913 when he tried to sell the painting to an art dealer in Florence, claiming he was a patriot returning it to its homeland. The masterpiece was swiftly recovered and returned to the Louvre, where it remains today, now housed behind bulletproof glass to prevent further attempts.
Roger-Violett, Wikimedia Commons
The Scream
Edvard Munch’s The Scream has been stolen twice—in 1994 and 2004. The first time thieves broke into Norway’s National Gallery on the opening day of the Winter Olympics. The second theft was even bolder, with armed robbers storming the Munch Museum. Both times, the artwork was eventually recovered.
Edvard Munch, Wikimedia Commons
The Scream (Cont.)
The painting, valued at over $120 million, is one of the most iconic pieces of modern art. Its eerie expression and swirling sky symbolize anxiety and despair. Despite suffering some damage during the 2004 heist, experts meticulously restored it, and it now resides securely back in Oslo.
The Scream Sotheby's Auction by Art Enigma
Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait
Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait (1630) is a rare oil painting on copper, known for its meticulous brushwork and gold leaf underlayer. It was stolen from the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm in 2000 during a heist, where thieves used speedboats to escape. For years, the painting’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait (Cont.)
In 2005, Danish authorities tracked it down in Copenhagen during an undercover sting operation. The self-portrait, one of only a few Rembrandt works on copper, was safely returned to the museum. Its recovery was a triumph for art crime investigators, preserving an invaluable piece of Dutch Golden Age artistry.
Rembrandt: The power of his self portraits | National Gallery by The National Gallery
The Ghent Altarpiece
Known as the most stolen artwork in history, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck has been taken at least seven times. Napoleon’s army looted it, the Nazis seized it during World War II, and one panel—the Just Judges—remains missing to this day, fueling endless speculation.
Jan van Eyck, Wikimedia Commons
The Ghent Altarpiece (Cont.)
Recovered portions of the altarpiece were hidden in salt mines before Allied forces retrieved them in 1945. Today, the artwork is housed in St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Belgium. Its complex history and religious significance make it one of the most coveted masterpieces ever created.
Ghent Altarpiece by Curious Traveler TV Series
The Missing Klimt Painting
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of a Lady vanished in 1997 from an Italian gallery, seemingly lost forever. Then, in 2019, workers cleaning ivy from the gallery’s walls found the artwork hidden in a recess. It had never even left the building.
Gustav Klimt, Wikimedia Commons
The Missing Klimt Painting (Cont.)
The painting, valued at over $66 million, is unique because it was revealed to be a second painting layered over an earlier Klimt work. Today, it remains one of Klimt’s most celebrated portraits. Plus, the bizarre nature of its disappearance and rediscovery only added to its legend.
Josef Anton Trcka, Wikimedia Commons
The Empire State Building Heist Of Salvador Dali’s Painting
In 2012, Salvador Dali’s Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio was brazenly stolen from a New York gallery. The thief walked in, grabbed the artwork, and left. Days later, the gallery received an anonymous package—inside was the stolen painting, completely undamaged.
Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Empire State Building Heist Of Salvador Dali’s Painting (Cont.)
The painting, valued at around $150,000, features Dali’s signature surrealist style. Its unexpected return remains a mystery, as the thief was never caught. Some speculate that the intense media coverage made selling it impossible, forcing the culprit to mail it back.
Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Mayan Artifacts That Were Returned To Guatemala
Mayan relics, including pottery and carved figurines, were stolen from archaeological sites in Guatemala and trafficked across international borders. Some ended up in prestigious auction houses, only for experts to recognize their origins and alert authorities. Through coordinated international efforts, many of these looted artifacts have been recovered and returned to Guatemala.
USA: ANCIENT MAYAN ARTEFACT by AP Archive
The Benevento Missal
This 12th-century manuscript was looted from Italy’s Benevento Cathedral during WWII. It resurfaced decades later in a British library, prompting a legal battle over its rightful ownership. The manuscript is a rare and significant liturgical book, handwritten and beautifully illuminated, which now rests safely and officially in Italy.
Bernard Gagnon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Two Van Gogh Paintings
Vincent van Gogh’s Seascape at Scheveningen (1882) and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen (1884–85) are among his most historically significant works. Both combined are worth an estimated $100 million and were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in a burglary.
Vincent van Gogh, Wikimedia Commons
Two Van Gogh Paintings (Cont.)
Thieves used a ladder to enter through the roof, escaping within minutes. For 14 years, their fate remained unknown until 2016. That’s when Italian authorities found them hidden in a Mafia stronghold near Naples. Despite minor damage, both artworks were safely returned to the museum, where they are now displayed under enhanced security.
Sebastian Koppehel, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Two Van Gogh Paintings (Cont.)
Seascape at Scheveningen is one of only two seascapes he painted in the Netherlands, capturing the turbulent waters with thick, expressive brushstrokes. The other, Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, is a deeply personal piece—Van Gogh painted it as a gift for his mother, depicting the church where his father had preached.
Vincent van Gogh, Wikimedia Commons
The Tutankhamun Artifacts Smuggled Out Of Egypt
Ancient Egyptian relics, including some associated with King Tutankhamun’s tomb, were stolen and smuggled to collectors overseas. Egyptian authorities have successfully tracked down and repatriated several missing items. While the iconic gold funerary mask remained in Egypt, other valuable artifacts have made their way back home.
King Tut statue sells for $6 million amid controversy by CBS Evening News
The Faberge Egg
An American scrap dealer unknowingly bought a Faberge egg at a flea market for $14,000, planning to melt it down for gold. Luckily, he researched it first and discovered it was a missing Russian imperial Faberge egg, valued at over $33 million.
Rare Faberge Egg Found in U.S. to go on Display by Associated Press
The Faberge Egg (Cont.)
This particular egg, commissioned by Tsar Alexander III in 1887, was part of the legendary Faberge collection. After decades of obscurity, it was sold privately and remains in an undisclosed collection. It’s one of the most extraordinary cases of a lost treasure resurfacing by sheer luck.
Ivan Kramskoi, Wikimedia Commons
Durham University Masterpieces Found In A Hotel Room
In 2002, a gang stole paintings from Durham University, including works by Goya and El Greco. They attempted to sell them on the black market but failed. In 2013, investigators found the stolen artworks hidden in a hotel room. The paintings, valued at over $2.5 million, were recovered in near-perfect condition.
Francisco Goya, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Parthenon Marble That Was Secretly Returned
A fragment of the Parthenon Marbles, originally taken from Greece in the 19th century, was long believed lost. However, in 2022, the Vatican Museum made a surprising announcement—it had secretly held one of these stolen pieces for decades and would return it to Greece as a gesture of goodwill.
British Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Parthenon Marble That Was Secretly Returned (Cont.)
The recovered fragment is now displayed in the Acropolis Museum, reunited with its rightful place. The Parthenon Marbles, created in the 5th century BCE, are among the most controversial stolen artifacts in history. Their return marked a significant victory in Greece’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage.
Jay.M, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Caravaggio Painting That Turned Up In An Attic
In 2014, a lost Caravaggio painting, Judith Beheading Holofernes, was discovered in a French attic. The owners had no idea they possessed a possible masterpiece. Experts debated its authenticity for years before confirming it as a genuine Caravaggio, worth over $170 million.
Caravaggio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Goya Portrait Taken From An Exhibition
Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Spanish artist Francisco Goya was stolen from London’s National Gallery in 1961. The heist was so infamous that the stolen painting even appeared in the James Bond film Dr. No. Surprisingly, it was returned in 1965 by an elderly man claiming he had stolen it to protest TV licensing fees.
Francisco Goya, Wikimedia Commons
The Goya Portrait Taken From An Exhibition (Cont.)
The portrait, worth millions, was unharmed and returned to public display. This theft (or rather incident) remains one of the quirkiest art crimes in history, as the thief, Kempton Bunton, became a folk hero for his unconventional motives.
Vicente Lopez Portana, Wikimedia Commons
The Cellini Salt Cellar
Benvenuto Cellini’s Saliera, an exquisite 16th-century gold salt cellar, was stolen from Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum in 2003. The thief bypassed alarms and walked out undetected. For three years, the masterpiece remained missing until the culprit, unable to sell it, led authorities to where he had buried it in a wooded area.
Cstutz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Cellini Salt Cellar (Cont.)
Worth around $50–60 million, the Saliera is an extraordinary piece of Renaissance art, symbolizing land and sea with intricate goldwork. Its theft shocked the art world, and its dramatic recovery in Vienna remains one of the most significant in European history.
Austrian National Library, Wikimedia Commons
The Missing Picasso That Showed Up In New York
Picasso’s paintings are among the most frequently stolen, 1,147 to be exact. A Picasso painting (Buste de Femme), stolen in 2012, reappeared unexpectedly in New York. Authorities intercepted it before it could be sold, uncovering a smuggling ring responsible for trafficking stolen art.
The Henry Moore Sculptures Rescued From Smugglers
In 2012, two bronze sculptures by Henry Moore—Working Model for a Sundial and Upright Motive Number 7—were stolen from the grounds of the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire, UK. The thieves, Liam Hughes and Jason Parker, had no idea of their artistic value.
Henry Moore Upright Motives - P07 - Group 6 by Rebecca Boatman
The Henry Moore Sculptures Rescued From Smugglers (Cont.)
They sold the pieces as scrap metal for just $374 (£231) despite their estimated worth of $930,000 (£575,000). Authorities recovered the sculptures, but not before they suffered damage. During sentencing, Judge Marie Catterson condemned the theft as “utterly selfish,” giving both men one year in prison.
The Stolen Manuscript Of Beethoven’s Symphony Was Recovered
Ludwig van Beethoven’s “String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130” is one of his most celebrated late compositions. The original handwritten manuscript, filled with his annotations and revisions, was stolen from Berlin’s State Library during World War II. For decades, scholars feared it was lost forever, a casualty of wartime looting.
Lost Beethoven manuscript sells for 1 million pounds by AP Archive
The Stolen Manuscript Of Beethoven’s Symphony Was Recovered (Cont.)
Then, in 2005, the manuscript unexpectedly resurfaced in a private collection in Pennsylvania. The collector, unaware of its stolen status, attempted to auction it at Sotheby’s. Experts immediately recognized its importance, leading to its recovery and return to Germany. In 2024, the Beethoven House in Bonn acquired the original manuscript of the fourth movement.
Lost Beethoven manuscript sells for 1 million pounds by AP Archive
The Stolen Turner Paintings That Were Found In A Duffle Bag
“Shade and Darkness - The Evening of the Deluge and Light” and “Colour (Goethe’s Theory) - The Morning After the Deluge” are two paintings by J.M.W. Turner. They were stolen from the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt while on loan from London’s Tate Gallery in 1994.
J. M. W. Turner, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Turner Paintings That Were Found In A Duffle Bag (Cont.)
The thieves used a fire alarm as a diversion, allowing them to slip in and take the paintings undetected. The works, dating back to 1843, are among Turner’s most celebrated masterpieces. And for nearly a decade, the paintings remained missing. In reality, they had passed through the hands of organized crime networks.
J. M. W. Turner, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Turner Paintings That Were Found In A Duffle Bag (Cont.)
Their recovery in 2002 was the result of an elaborate sting operation led by British and German authorities involving secret negotiations and ransom payments. When finally retrieved, the paintings were found crammed inside a duffle bag in Frankfurt, a shocking fate for works worth over $50 million.
Erol Ahmed erol, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Degas Painting That Was Hidden In Plain Sight
In 2009, Edgar Degas’ Les Choristes vanished from a museum in Marseille, France. Authorities had no leads until 2018 when French customs officers searching an abandoned bus in a Parisian suburb found a suspicious package. Inside was the missing Degas painting. Experts believe it passed through various hands in the black market.
Edgar Degas, Wikimedia Commons
The Viking Treasure That Was Recovered From An Illicit Sale
In 2015, a hoard of Viking-era artifacts, including silver arm rings, coins, and jewelry dating back to the 9th century, was stolen from a historical site in Herefordshire, England. Instead of reporting their discovery, metal detectorists George Powell and Layton Davies attempted to sell the treasure on the black market, hiding its true value.
Wolfmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Viking Treasure That Was Recovered From An Illicit Sale (Cont.)
The hoard, which included a rare gold ring, a rock crystal pendant, and over 300 coins, was estimated to be worth $3.8 million (£3 million). Authorities were tipped off when suspicious coins began appearing for sale. A police investigation ultimately led to the recovery of some of the stolen treasure, but a significant portion remains missing.
Wolfmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Viking Treasure That Was Recovered From An Illicit Sale (Cont.)
The recovered items are now housed in the British Museum, teaching historians about Viking trade, wealth, and cultural exchange between England and mainland Europe. Powell and Davies were convicted in 2019 and sentenced to over 10 years in prison—one of the harshest sentences for artifact theft in the UK.
juandesant, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Stolen Renoir That Was Rescued From A Garage Sale
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s artwork called On the Shore of the Seine was stolen from a Baltimore museum in 1951. Then, in 2012, a woman unknowingly purchased it at a flea market for just $7. She later discovered its true identity when attempting to auction it. After legal battles, the painting, valued at $100,000, was returned to the museum.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Wikimedia Commons
The Priceless Aztec Artifacts That Were Smuggled Abroad
For years, priceless Aztec artifacts were looted from Mexico and smuggled into private collections around the world. Over the years, Mexican authorities successfully repatriated over 2,500 stolen pre-Columbian artifacts, including ceremonial masks, stone sculptures, and gold ornaments.
Dallas Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons
The Priceless Aztec Artifacts That Were Smuggled Abroad (Cont.)
These artifacts, some over 1,000 years old, provide critical insight into Aztec history and more. Many are now displayed in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology. Their return was part of Mexico’s broader effort to reclaim stolen cultural heritage and to make sure they remain in their homeland for future generations.
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