Van Dyck painting thieves 'may have escaped in boat'
A Soldier
On Horseback by the Flemish artist, a leading court painter under King Charles
I, dates from around 1616.
The work
was among three stolen from the University of Oxford's Christ Church Picture
Gallery on Saturday.
Thames
Valley Police said a boat could have been used "to access and leave the
site".
The thieves
also made off with A Boy Drinking (c. 1580) by Annibale Carracci, and A Rocky
Coast, With Soldiers Studying a Plan (late 1640s) by Salvator Rosa.
Det Insp
James Mather said: "This is just a hypothesis at this time, but we would
like to hear from anyone who has had their boat stolen recently or has noticed
any unusual activity around where their boats are docked.
"We are
initially asking people with boats based on the River Cherwell or the River
Thames near Oxford to get in touch if you have noticed any unusual activity.
"If
you saw anything unusual on these rivers on Saturday night, we would also ask
you to get in touch.
"Also,
please make a report if you find any abandoned boats which have appeared since
the early hours of Sunday morning."
A Christ
Church College spokesman said staff had initially alerted police to the theft
of the "important cultural artefacts", and the gallery would be
closed until further notice.
购买艺术品,艺术,绘画, アート、アート、絵画を買う, Kunst
kaufen, Kunst, Malerei,
לקנות אמנות, אמנות, ציור