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Stolen Art Returns After 30 Years
10 Feb
Summary
- A 1600s painted wooden panel was stolen in 1996 and found recently.
- The artwork commemorates George Cordell, a royal household servant.
- An Australian man discovered the panel at an auction house online.
A significant piece of church history, a painted wooden panel dating back to the 1600s, has been returned to St Leonard's Church in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, 30 years after its theft. The panel, which commemorates George Cordell, a distinguished servant in the royal households of three monarchs, vanished in 1996.
Its recovery began last December when Richard d'Apice, a member of Australia's Heraldry Society, spotted the panel in an online auction catalogue from his Sydney home. Research by d'Apice confirmed Cordell's burial at the church, prompting him to contact the vicar.
After initial skepticism, the vicar confirmed the panel's identity through church archives and police notifications. The auction house promptly removed the item from sale and facilitated its return. The artwork, once valued at £1,200, is now estimated to be worth nearly £3,000.
Cordell served Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, and King Charles I for over 60 years as Sergeant of the Ewry. The panel's return fills a void left for three decades, with plans to re-hang it securely soon.
