Police recover stolen Da Vinci painting 'Madonna with the Yarnwinder'

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The painting “Madonna with the Yarnwinder” of da Vinci’s was stolen from Drumlanrig Castle in southern Scotland in August 2003, in a daring daytime robbery. Two thieves posing as tourists overpowered a guide before escaping with the painting in broad daylight.

The oil-on-wood painting, which shows the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus on her lap holding a cross-shaped spindle for yarn, is one of several versions of the same scene painted between 1500 and 1510.

The painting appeared on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list of stolen art and on the Art Loss Register’s list of stolen masterpieces.

The police officers found this painting in Glasgow, Scotland. Three men from England and one man from Scotland were arrested according to the Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway police.

The art experts were able to authenticate this painting as Leonardo da Vinci’s. The condition of the painting was not stated in the article.



The lead investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Mickey Dalgleish, said they were able to locate the painting with the help of the public and cooperation from the national crime agencies.

Drumlanrig Castle houses one of the finest private art collections in Britain, also contains masterpieces by Rembrandt and Holbein. The structure was completed in 1691, is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Scotland and is home to one of Scotland’s richest landowners, the Duke of Buccleuch. The painting had been in the Buccleuch family for more than 200 years. The ninth Duke of Buccleuch died a month ago, he would have been happier with the news of this recovery.

Some scholars have suggested the painting maybe the work of Leonardo’s assistants, but Scotland experts think otherwise who say the central figures of the Madonna and child are the artist’s own work and the overall design must be his also.

I hope the Buccleuchs’ will take better care of it now, if not they should give it to the Public Museum. Too bad the precious arts of legends should remain in private hands instead of being in a museum so anyone can enjoy the arts and be inspired as well.