$5-million stolen Rembrandt recovered in France after 15 years in wilderness
PARIS – A stolen Rembrandt masterpiece valued at more than $5 million has been found in Nice and returned to its rightful owners after 15 years in the wilderness.
The haunting chiaroscuro oil painting, “Child with a Soap Bubble,” was raided from the Draguignan Museum in July 1999 by robbers who slipped in through an adjacent library amid celebrations for the Bastille Day holiday.
Authorities recovered the 17th-century work Tuesday inside a Nice home and returned it to curator Jeanine Bussieres Thursday in an emotional ceremony.
“We are thrilled… This Rembrandt was one of our masterpieces. The child in the picture is smiling because he has a soap bubble. But yes, he could be smiling now because he’s been returned to us,” Bussieres told the AP.
Two suspects have been detained.
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