Spanish police have recovered two long-lost 17th-century altarpiece paintings by Baroque painter Lucas Valdés, which disappeared after being shown at the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition of Seville. The works, depicting Old Testament scenes, were identified in an auction house catalog in September 2025, authenticated by the Spanish Historical Heritage Brigade, and returned to the Hospital of the Venerable Priests in Seville on May 20, 2026, after a mediation process with the consignors.
The recovery matters because it reunites a historically significant altarpiece, originally created by sculptor Francisco de Barahona, with its original church home after nearly a century in private hands. It also highlights the ongoing work of Spanish heritage police in combating art trafficking and the importance of provenance research in returning looted or missing cultural property to religious and public institutions.