Stolen 17th-Century Flemish Painting Recovered Before Auction

A 17th-century Flemish painting stolen from a Canadian residence in 2020 was recovered after being flagged during pre-sale verification at Sotheby's. The Art Loss Register, a London-based organization, announced the recovery of 'Interior of a Collector’s Cabinet: An Allegory of Sight' by Jan van Kessel the Elder and Abraham Willemsens. The work was registered in the Art Loss Register's database after the theft and resurfaced in October 2023 when consigned to Sotheby's. Due to due diligence protocols, the painting was matched against the database of stolen works, halting the sale. The consignor claimed to have bought the painting at a 2015 auction in Switzerland; investigation revealed that sale was the original owner's purchase. After a period of unresponsiveness, the holder cooperated, allowing restitution to AXA XL, the insurer that compensated the owner. The painting was then consigned again to Sotheby's in August 2024 and sold in the 'Master Paintings & Sculpture from Four Millennia Part II' sale in New York for $88,900, surpassing its $30,000–$40,000 estimate. James Ratcliffe, director of recoveries at the Art Loss Register, emphasized the importance of international registration and verification mechanisms. Sotheby's catalog described the work as a sophisticated kunstkamer, or cabinet of curiosities, allegorizing sight, with Willemsens painting figures and sculptures and Van Kessel the rest.