Post date: Aug 16, 2011 5:50:7 PM
A $250,000 Rembrandt that was stolen over the weekend has been recovered at a church in California.
MARINA DEL REY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2011) NBC-A Rembrandt drawing stolen from a Los Angeles-area hotel has been recovered at a church in nearby Encino, authorities said on Tuesday (August 16).
Owners of the drawing, known as "The Judgment," verified that the recovered 11 x 16-inch (28 x 41-cm) pen-and-ink artwork valued at $250,000 was indeed the original that had vanished from an exhibit on Saturday night, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Police Department.
An anonymous tip led investigators to the church on Monday (August 15), and experts from the Linearis Institute, which owns the drawing, later verified its authenticity, he said.
There are no suspects in custody, and authorities are not commenting on how the drawing ended up at the church on Ventura Boulevard in the city about 25 miles (40 km) from Los Angeles.
They also are not confirming the name of the church. The drawing was in "a building on the church grounds, not in the sanctuary," Whitmore said. He credited media coverage for the swift recovery of the drawing.
The drawing by the famed 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn disappeared sometime between 10:20 p.m. and 10:35 p.m. PDT on Saturday (0420-0435 GMT on Sunday) from an exhibit at the Ritz Carlton Marina del Rey. The theft happened while the curator was being distracted
by a person who "appeared to be buying something, and that required the attention of the curator," Whitmore said.
High-tech specialists are scouring hotel security video, and authorities may release a sketch or stills of the suspects later this week or next week, Whitmore said.