Stolen double portrait of Rubens and Van Dyck returned

A rare double portrait by Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, stolen in 1979, has been returned to Chatsworth House, the estate of the Duke of Devonshire. The painting had suffered some damage over the years – minor paint flaking, nicotine staining, panel peeling. After cleaning and conservation, the portrait is now back on display at Chatsworth House.

This unusual grisaille painting by the Flemish painter Erasmus Quellinus II features two round busts of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Each portrait is framed in an elaborate frame and surrounded by symbolic figures, with the artist’s family crest beneath the bust.

This rare double portrait is even rarer because it was created specifically as a preparation for an engraving by the Flemish engraver Paulus Du Pont. It was never intended to be hung on a wall itself. Pontius was the chief engraver in Peter Paul Rubens’ studio, and he meticulously copied the master’s designs, specializing in portraits of Spanish Dutch monarchs and officials.

Rubens died in 1640, and Pontius went on to copy the works of other luminaries of the day, most notably Anthony van Dyck. This portrait of his most popular artist was destined to become one of his most beloved prints. Today, surviving copies of the painting are held in top museums, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rijksmuseum.

On 26 May 1970, this painting was on loan to the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne for an exhibition on Anthony van Dyck, but was robbed. It was the only painting stolen, which was an odd choice to say the least, as the exhibition featured original paintings by Van Dyck, which are worth millions. I imagine the master’s work must have looked less impressive to the untrained eye of the looters.

Police investigated but found nothing. It disappeared without a trace until December 2020, when Dr. Bert Schepers, a Belgian expert in Flemish art, discovered it at a small auction house in Toulon, France. He recognized it as a stolen work and reported it to the trustees of Chatsworth House. They in turn sought help from the Lost Art Registry to recover the work.

The auction house withdrew the lot and the sellers had no idea of ​​the painting’s history. They found the painting at their late parents’ home in Eastbourne, which was illegally occupied at the time of the theft. They kept the painting for sentimental reasons, believing it to belong to their late parents, and eventually decided to sell it 40 years later. The sellers agreed to return it to Chatsworth House for a small finder’s fee, which they donated to charity.

The video tells the story of theft, recovery and preservation.