Two valuable paintings were found in a trash can along a highway in Germany. It concerns the 17th-century works Portrait of a boy by the Dutch painter Samuel van Hoogstraten and Smiling Self Portrait from 1665, painted by the Italian Pietro Bellotti.
The paintings were found a month ago by a motorist, who was pausing at a rest stop between Frankfurt and Nuremberg. The man, who has remained anonymous, saw the ‘waste’ and suspected that it was valuable works. He then called the police.
This seems to have saved two important art objects. Experts consulted by the Cologne police assume that the works are authentic. It is unknown who recently owned the paintings. The police therefore hopes to find the rightful owner with a call.
The two painters are renowned artists, both are representatives of the Baroque movement. Bellotti’s work hangs in museums in Stuttgart and Bologna, among others. Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678) from Dordrecht worked for years in Rembrandt van Rijn’s studio.
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