Major Burglary in Westfries Museum, Hoorn

Tuesday, 11 January 2005

Sunday night, 9-10 January, a major burglary took place in the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, one of the destinations of the CODART ACHT symposium in March. The loot consisted of 21 paintings from the 17th to the 20th century, three drawings, a print and a large number of silver objects.


Jacob Waben, Lady World, 1622	Matthias Withoos, The Grashaven in Hoorn, after 1750

The theft was discovered on Monday morning around 8 a.m. by museum employees. It is not clear how the thieves got into the museum, since it is protected by a sophisticated security system. The alarm, which was inspected in a routine control last Thursday, did not go off.

A number of scans have been mounted by the museum at http://www.wfm.nl/pers.htm. More will undoubtedly be placed in the coming hours and days.

The museum has put a list of the missing paintings, drawings and print on its website: http://www.wfm.nl/lijst.htm. Translated and alphabetized, the list reads as follows:

Paintings

Hendrik Bogaert, Peasant wedding, 1671-1675
Steven van Duyven, Portrait of a lady, 1679
Steven van Duyven, Portrait of a gentleman, 1679
Jan van Goyen, Landscape with peasant wagon, 1632
Hendrik Heerschop, Landscape with the story of the Pharaoh’s cup, 1652
Claas van Heussen, Kitchen with cooking utensils, 1672
A second painting by the same master of the same subject, same date
Jan Linsen, Rebecca and Eliëzer, 1629
Claas Molenaer, Winter scene, 1647
Reinier Nooms, Seascape with ships, 1640-1668
Izaak Ouwater, The Nieuwstraat in Hoorn, 1784
Egbert Lievens van de Poel, Interior, 1620-1653
Gerrit Pompe, View of Enkhuizen
Jan Claesz. Rietschoof, View of Oostereiland, 1652-1719
Salomon Rombouts, Winter scene, 1670-1700
Henrik Savrij, View of Andijk, ca. 1900
Floris van Schooten, Kitchen piece, 17th century
Jacob Waben, The return of Jephthah, 1625
Jacob Waben, Lady World, 1622
Matthias Withoos, The Grashaven in Hoorn, after 1750
A second painting by the same master of the same subject, same date