5. The Just Judges, part of Jan van Eyck’s invaluable masterpiece has often been cited as the most important piece of missing art
It’s one of the great mysteries of the art world: a stolen masterpiece, an expert, career criminal, a deathbed confession and a real sense of the unknown. Indeed, while The Just Judges is just one part of a larger artwork, its disappearance in 1934 has confounded the authorities, as well as many amateur sleuths, ever since. And, since the man who most people believe stole it revealed that he hid it in a mystery location, to this day, people continue to search for it in the hope of earning a fortune.
The Just Judges was painted between 1430 and 1432 by the Dutchman Jan van Eyck (or possibly by his brother Hubert). It was one panel of a large altarpiece and shows the portraits of several notable men from the time, including Philip the Good. Along with the rest of the work, the panel was installed in the Saint Bavo Cathedral in the Belgian city of Ghent, exactly how the artist wished. On one night in April 1934, however, it was stolen. In its place, the thief had left a note. That note stated, “Taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.” Was the thief a German nationalist who was still angry that his country had been forced to hand back the art it had looted during the First World War? Or was this a red herring, designed to put the police off the trail?
Before long, the Bishop of Ghent received a letter. Here, the thief demanded a huge ransom for the paintings. The negotiations dragged on and, to show he was serious, the thief returned half of the panel. However, the second half remained missing. Then, in November 1934, a known art thief called Arsene Goedertier died. On his deathbed, he confessed that he had stolen The Just Judges. What’s more, he revealed that “it rests in a place where neither I, nor anybody else, can take it away without arousing the attention of the public”. What this tantalizing clue meant, nobody knew. Even today, people still debate, with a number of theories having been put forward – and disproved – over the years.
To this day, the city of Ghent police department still keeps the case file open. Since the artwork belongs to the city, if anyone does find it (and some experts argue that it was probably destroyed), they are unlikely to get a big financial reward. They will, however, be national heroes in Belgium and legends in the art world.