Art detective returns stolen statue to France after 50 years

Arthur Brand, a Dutch art detective, returned a valuable artifact to a French museum that was stolen 50 years ago. arthur Brand is also known as the”Indiana Jones of the art world”. The statue of Roman god Bacchus found its way back to France after being stolen for 50 years. 

The Dutch art detective gave the bronze-sculpture statue to Musee du Pays Chatillonnais. Musee du Pays Chatillonnais in eastern france showcases an impressive collection of Ancient Roman artifacts and items, mostly that are discovered at a nearby archeological dig site of Vertillum. It is said that a Gallo-roman village used to be here located here in ancient times.

The theft of this ancient roman artifact dates back to the December of 1973 when a few thieves broke into the museum and stole 5,000 coins with several artifacts, including the statue of Roman god Bacchus.

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“The loss to the museum and the community was hard to deal with, considering their most precious antiques were stolen,” Arthur Brand told the press after handing over the artifact at a ceremony in Amsterdam.

“Back then, there was no sophisticated system to trace stolen art, therefore, the statue was thought to be disappeared into the underworld and lost forever,” he added.

The 40-centimeter-tall bronze sculpture is considered to be the Roman god of wine. The artifact was also displayed in Paris in the late 1930s, as a contribution to an exhibition featuring the 50 most beautiful art treasures owned by France.

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“When I saw it for the first time, I just realized how much more beautiful it is than the copy we have made on display since the original was stolen,” Catherine Monnet said while talking to Agent-France Presse (AFP).

As for Arthur Brand, Musee du Pays Chatillonnais, as a tribute to him, has granted free entrance to the “Indiana Jones of the art world” for the rest of his life.

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