LONDON - Sotheby’s auction house has confirmed that it does not plan to remove the Flemish triptych stolen in Nájera (La Rioja) in 1913. The auction house stated there has been no claim on this work. According to Sotheby’s, it has been in contact with the Spanish Ministry of Culture which confirmed will make no claim on the work. The work is estimated at 750 million Euros and currently belongs to a French family.
The triptych has been sold several times in the past and the current owner purchased it in good faith and has rights over it, added the auction house in the statement issued..
The theme painted in the central part of the work is the lamentation of Christ. The sides portray a pair of donors protected by Saint Peter and Saint Anne. A Flemish triptych from the 16th century by Ambrosius Benson.
When the triptych is closed, in the rear of the doors is the scene of the Temptation of the Garden of Eden.