Does an art detective have to work tirelessly, roam the underworld and negotiate tough deals with gang bosses in order to return stolen works of art to their rightful owners? Not in the case of the famous Dutch art detective Arthur Brand, who recently received a stolen Vincent van Gogh painting in an Ikea bag last month. The masterpiece was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in March 2020 by members of an organized crime enterprise. Now, another set of stolen paintings have also been returned to him directly. 

Related: Art Detective Returns Stolen Van Gogh Painting

As Brand told The Art Newspaper, he was sitting comfortably in front of the television watching a soccer game on October 13 when his doorbell rang quite late. According to the Dutch media, a parcel courier had a large delivery for him, which, to Brand's astonishment, included six paintings worth around €100,000 that had been taken from the old town hall of the Dutch municipality of Medemblik, in North Holland, at the beginning of September 2023. Brand immediately alerted the police.

The paintings are portraits of Frisian King Radbod, Prince Wilhelm of Orange, Queen Wilhelmina, Prince Moritz of Orange and Count Johann of Nassau, as well as a biblical scene. There is still no trace of a barometer and a chandelier that were also stolen.

In the interview, Brand suggested that the thieves might have gotten cold feet after the highly publicized return of the Van Gogh painting or that the police might have already been on their trail.

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People in Medemblik are understandably delighted by the unexpected reappearance of the paintings, as council member Jeroen Broeders expressed in a press release: "Sometimes you don't know how much something means to you until it's no longer there. This certainly applies to these paintings too. We are very happy with the role played by Arthur Brand. He has once again lived up to his name as an 'art detective'." 

Incidentally, Arthur Brand does not want to claim the €10,000 reward offered by the community.

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Six artworks that had been taken from a Dutch town hall in September were returned to famed art detective Arthur Brand.

Thieves Return Stolen Paintings to Art Detective

The Monaco-based auctioneer Monaco Legend Group specializes in rare and collectible timepieces. With watch veteran Davide Parmegiani, the business has developed and increased in revenue yearly. Today, Monaco Legend Group is one of the leading sources for collectors who want to obtain the finest watches in existence.

Related: John Lennon's $10 Million Patek Philippe Watch Found After 43 Years

The highly anticipated October auction featured 281 lots. A couple of watches were expected to sell in the low $1 million range, but the lead role belonged to the 1969 Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263, which fetched $1.9 million, including buyer’s premium. Known as the "Paul Newman", the Daytona became synonymous with the famous actor who often was seen with a Daytona on his wrist. For a Rolex Daytona to be known as a Paul Newman, it has to be a vintage timepiece with a special dial. A special feature of Paul Newman dials is the three-color combination of black, white, and red with chronograph registers and minute track rings in contrasting colors, which gives a bold and eye-catching appearance to the watch.

Related: Two of Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona Watches Go to Auction

The auction featured multiple Paul Newmans, which is incredibly rare on its own. But again, the start of the show was the $1.9 million watch, which has a striking tropical brown dial, giving it a very rare look compared to other Paul Newmans.

Talking about other Paul Newmans – Monaco Legend Group proudly offered two very fine Tiffany-stamped watches. For decades, Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store at Fifth Avenue has been an official retailer of many high-end watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe. Today, they only sell Patek Philippe. An interesting detail about some of the watches they sell is that they are stamped “Tiffany & Co.”, meaning that a watch can have two brand names on the dial, e.g., Rolex and Tiffany. This is extremely rare and highly sought-after, making Tiffany-stamped watches much more valuable than they otherwise would be (without the additional Tiffany stamp.)

Related: The 10 Most Expensive Watches Ever Auctioned

Two striking examples of 1968 and 1969 Tiffany-stamped Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” watches sold for $700,000 and $730,000, respectively. Notably, the ninth most expensive watch ever sold was a Tiffany-stamped Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018, which sold for $6.5 million in 2021. Pretty impressive for a watch that retails for $52,000!

Just a couple of years ago, it was almost unheard of that a watch could sell for seven figures. Nowadays, it’s a usual phenomenon, with this stunning Rolex Daytona being the latest in line. 

Tropical Rolex Daytona From 1969 Sells For $1.9 Million

This week: Join us as we embark on a journey through the intricate sculptures and masterpieces crafted from the timeless medium of wood. In this episode, we sit down with wood artist Laura Mays who breathes life into wood, exploring her creative processes, inspirations, and the deep connection between art and nature. Discover the allure of reclaimed materials, the technical intricacies of woodturning, and the stories behind each piece that tell a tale of skillful craftsmanship and artistic vision.

#45 Wooden Wonders

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In this episode, we delve into the captivating world of wood artistry and sustainability.

Thieves Return Stolen Paintings to Art Detective

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