A 17th-century double portrait of Flemish artists Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck has been returned after being stolen 40 years ago. The oil painting, created by Erasmus Quellinus II, was taken in 1979 while on loan at the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne, England.

The artwork had been part of the Devonshire Collections at Chatsworth House since 1838. Peter Day, a retired librarian, noted that the painting was included in an exhibition he organized in 1978 and was stolen during a “smash and grab” on May 26, 1979.

In 2020, Belgian art historian Bert Schepers spotted the painting at an auction in Toulon, France, and alerted Chatsworth. The Art Loss Register then worked for three years with the seller to facilitate its return.

“Despite the long period since the loss, we are delighted to have secured its return,” said Lucy O’Meara from the Art Loss Register. The painting was restored and returned to Chatsworth in May. It will be displayed at the National Galleries of Scotland’s Royal Scottish Academy building in November. “It was over 40 years ago, and after that sort of time, you don’t expect a painting to reappear,” said Charles Noble, Chatsworth's curator of fine art.

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