David Teniers stolen

David Teniers stolen from London Dealer

The case
In the early 1990's a thief walked into the gallery of a well known and reputable Bond Street dealer. Whilst the attention of the staff was elsewhere, he managed to calmly remove a painting by David Teniers from the wall and left the gallery with the picture hidden underneath his coat.

The dealer was able to supply the police with a professional description of the painting and its frame, together with good quality photographs of both its back and front. Nothing was known of the painting's whereabouts for a number of years until the police heard it was about to be offered for sale in Los Angeles.

Procedures followed
After the London dealer had supplied the police with a description and photographs of the picture, the painting was circulated in trade publications and the details entered on the relevant databases for lost and stolen art.

In 1993 the police were notified that the painting had been sent from Los Angeles to another London dealer to be sold on behalf of a client who stated that the painting had formed part of his late father's art collection. Recognising the painting as the one stolen from London some years before, the dealer contacted the police, whilst continuing to communicate with the client to obtain further evidence against him. Having contravened the US property laws the client was arrested and charged in that country. Dubbed by the media at the trial as 'Peter the Cheater' owing to the defendants history of cheating on girl friends, evidence was provided to the court by both London dealers, who supported the prosecution throughout. Despite the trial being interrupted by the Los Angeles earth quake, Peter the Cheater was eventually sentenced to a term of imprisonment. The stolen painting was returned to London in 1994.

Lessons learnt

Stolen property will usually be offered to a relevant dealer at some point on its journey back to market. There are few alternatives if the object is to attain its true market value;
Dealers and auctioneers are often the target of theft but if accurate records and photographs of their stock are maintained, there is an increased chance of the stolen property being recovered and restored to them;
When considering buying an object it is essential that the buyer can demonstrate that they acted in 'good faith' at all times and can document the due diligence undertaken;
By working with the authorities criminals can be prosecuted deterring others from attempting similar crimes.

Quote
'Accurate descriptions and good quality photographs enable law enforcement agencies around the world to identify and recover stolen objects. The prosecution of offenders also acts to deter others so helping the authorities is another way to helping protect the art market from crime.' (Dick Ellis, Swift-Find Ltd)

Further Information
Dick Ellis
Swift-Find Ltd – On line registry of valuables
Email: re@swift-find.com
Tel: +44 (0) 87 0767 3463
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7443 9027