You might not have heard of the “Ghent Altarpiece,” also known as the “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” but thieves certainly have. Since its completion in 1432, the 12-panel oil painting by Flemish brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck has become the most stolen artwork of all time. It’s been taken at least seven times, including by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte. His army helped itself to four panels in 1794, displaying them in the Louvre until his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; France’s Louis XVIII returned the panels after he retook the throne. The painting has also been burned and nearly blown up on several occasions, most recently during World War II.
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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, perhaps thievery is high on the list as well. The altarpiece is a masterpiece, its panels depicting classical Christian iconography such as Adam and Eve, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and, in the most prominent panel, the Lamb of God — a depiction of Christ as a lamb bleeding into the holy grail. Unfortunately, one of the panels remains missing 90 years after it was first taken. A copy of the stolen section, which depicts a group of men (including Jan van Eyck himself) on horseback, is on display along with the rest of the altarpiece at St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium.
