The woman who transports her embers, by Pieter Brueghel the young
The painting disappeared in 1974 from the National Museum of Poland, when a museum employee accidentally discovered that he had been exchanged for a clipping of a magazine.
A seventeenth -century painting by Flamengo artist Pieter Brueghel, the young man, entitled The woman who transports the embersHe resurfaced in the Netherlands almost 50 years after disappearing from the National Museum of Poland in GDAńsk.
Oil painting, which portrays a peasant to hold back embers and a bucket of water, disappeared in 1974leading the experts to believe that he was lost forever. Dutch authorities now have the custody of the work of art and Poland has formally requested its return.
The discovery took place in 2024 through an effort of collaboration between journalists, the Dutch police and the famous art detective Arthur Brand, known as “Indiana Jones from the art world“.
The discovery was triggered when I sella Dutch magazine of art and antiques, published an article about an exhibition at the Gouda Museum that included the painting, listed as a loan from a private collection. A magazine collaborator, John Brozius, recognized the painting from an old photograph and warned Brand.
Brand, along with the Dutch police, confirmed the identity of the board using the Interpol database and other research. “We checked and we checked again, including the information on the back of the board. Corresponds!Said Richard Bronswijk of the Dutch police artistic crimes unit.
The disappearance of the painting in 1974 was long involved in mystery and was only discovered when a museum employee accidentally knocked him from the wall, revealing that it had been acknowledged of a magazine.
At the time, the Polish researchers faced major obstacles. Romuald Werner, an customer of customs who had been concerned about illegal art exports, Died in suspicious circumstances A few days after the theft. The investigation was eventually delivered to the Poland security service and was abruptly ended.
Legal processes are now underway to return the picture to Poland. Brand stressed the importance of the finding, stating: “It’s a great moment, because it means a lot for Poland … They have been waiting for 50 years, probably thinking it would never come back.”
