New lead in search for Van Eyck's missing painting

The abbey of St. Baafs in Ghent houses one of the most important painting of medieval artist Jan Van Eyck - and of course it attracts thousands of visitors, especially now that it has been carefully cleaned and all the details are once more obvious to the eye. Most likely you'll have read about it in the newspapers.

But one of the pannels of this painting is a copy. That of the Rightuous Judges. The reason is that this pannel of the famous painting was stolen, somewhere in the period between the two World Wars (1934). Nobody know who ordered the theft, but we do know the thief was one Arsène Goedertier. On his deathbed he confessed and let it be know the painting was hidden somewhere.

Many people have gone looking for the missing painting. Every few years you hear about it. It would be a great feat to finally find back something that has been missing for nearly 90 years! Last year they made an attempt in Ghent, but it came up with nothing.

Now a certain Martin Claessens claims the painting is hidden under the Great Market of my home town, Dendermonde. Apparently, Arsène Goedertier had a brother-in-law who lived in Dendermonde, and there's a possibility he has given the painting in his keeping.

Well, I don't believe this search will come to something, just like the others. In my opinion, nobody would hide a highly valuable painting under the ground or in some moisterous hole. No, I think the painting is hanging cosily against some wall in a house owned by a well-respected family (or in the mansion of some church lord). Somebody must have given the order to Goedertier to steal the painting - in an attempt at blackmail? I don't know, but it looks more likely than all the 'hidden object' theories...