John Opie painting stolen in 1969 returned to owner after FBI investigation

After fifty years, the painting "The Schoolmistress" by John Opie (1784) has been returned to its rightful owner, Dr. Francis Wood. The oil-on-canvas was stolen in 1969 from the Wood family residence in New Jersey by a mafia group. The work, inherited by Wood from his father Earl Leroy Wood who purchased it for $7,500 during a European trip, is considered invaluable and has a twin at Tate Britain in London. The recovery began in December 2021 when an accounting firm in Utah contacted the FBI. The firm was liquidating the estate of a client who died in 2020, which included a house in Hallandale, Florida, previously owned by convicted mobster Joseph Covello. During an auction appraisal, the painting was identified as the stolen Opie original. FBI Special Agent Gary France of the Salt Lake City office took custody. On January 11, 2024, the painting was formally returned to Francis Wood at his home in Newark, New Jersey. Agent France stated, "It was an honor to play a role in recovering a significant work of art and culture and reuniting a family with its stolen heritage. In a world where criminal investigations often leave scars, it was a rare joy to be part of this recovery. A triumph for history, justice, and the Wood family."