The identity of the thief who stole a Gian Lorenzo Bernini sculpture from the Spanish royal collection may never be known. But a court has returned the work after its sale at auction raised suspicions.
The date of the theft of the 17th-century piece depicting the River Ganges is unknown but when it was put up for sale at an auction house in Barcelona in 2021 experts saw that it was not what it purported to be.
Described as a statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of Fire, as an independent piece made in mercury-gilded bronze and belonging to the Italian school, “possibly Florence”, following the models of Pietro Simoni da Barga, it was estimated to be worth between €2,000 and €2,400.
The authorities declared