Stolen Salvator Rosa Painting Returned To Oxford University Gallery After Four Years

A 17th-century painting stolen from an art gallery at the University of Oxford more than four years ago was recently recovered in Romania.

Salvator Rosa‘s Baroque landscape work A Rocky Coast, with Soldiers Studying a Plan was stolen from the Christ Church Picture Gallery on March 14, 2020. The two other works stolen that day, Anthony van Dyck’s A Soldier on Horseback (ca. 1617) and A Boy Drinking (ca. 1580) by Annibale Carracci , are still missing. They had been on display at the religious institution since 1768.

The estimated value of all three artworks is almost $12.4 million (£10 million).

According to the gallery, a man in possession of the oil landscape by Rosa contacted Romanian police. He had sold the other two artworks, but chose to return A Rocky Coast, with Soldiers Studying a Plan to authorities. “The man is being treated as a witness by Romanian authorities and has not been arrested.”

“We’re grateful to the Romanian authorities and Thames Valley Police for their help in retrieving this priceless work and returning it to our gallery,” Christ Church Picture Gallery curator Jacqueline Thalmann said in a statment.

Thalmann called the group of paintings a significant part of its collection, and of “inestimable” significance to British and European culture.

Investigators are working with the Romanian judiciary, police, as well as European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) to collect further information.

“It is believed that the other two paintings were sold on in Romania and could be anywhere in Europe,” Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector James Mather said in a statement.

Authorities believe that A Soldier on Horseback (ca. 1617) and A Boy Drinking (ca. 1580) were sold in Romania and could be anywhere in Europe.  

Both the Christ Church Picture Gallery and Thames Valley Police are asking members of the public with any information that can assist in the return of the two missing artworks to come forward through an online form, quoting reference 43200087031.

News of the Rosa’s return was first reported by BBC News.