Two oval oil paintings by Baroque artist Lucas Valdés have returned to the church in Seville where they were originally installed, nearly a century after they disappeared from public record. Spain’s National Police recovered the works in May 2026 after seizing them from an auction house just days before they were set to sell. Authorities then returned the paintings to the Archdiocese of Seville during a handover ceremony held inside the Hospital of the Venerable Priests.
The paintings’ disappearance traces back to 1929, when the Hospital of the Venerable Priests loaned them for the Ibero-American Exposition in Seville, an international fair that showcased cultural and economic ties between Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. When the exposition ended in 1930, the works never returned to the church. Their location remained unknown for decades.
The two panels depict biblical scenes and once formed part of the church’s main altarpiece. Art historian Diego Angulo Íñiguez, a leading Baroque scholar and former director of Madrid’s Prado Museum, documented the paintings in the early 1920s, shortly before their disappearance. The works originally hung in the sacristy after their relocation from the altarpiece during renovations in 1889.
Valdés, the son of influential Baroque painter Juan de Valdés Leal, produced much of his work for the Hospital of the Venerable Priests. Born in Seville, he built his career across the city’s religious institutions before later serving as mathematical master at the Marine College in Cádiz. The recovered paintings belong to a larger body of Valdés’ work that remains in the church today, which makes their absence for nearly 100 years especially significant.
The recovery began in September 2025 when the Archdiocese of Seville identified the paintings in an auction catalogue and alerted Spain’s Ministry of Culture. The ministry’s Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods unit involved the National Police’s Historical Heritage Brigade, which confirmed the works’ authenticity, verified their provenance, and intervened before the sale could proceed.
Rather than pursue a lengthy legal dispute, authorities contacted the current holders of the paintings and informed them of their cultural heritage status. Through mediation between the holders and the Archdiocese, both parties agreed to return the works voluntarily. On May 20, 2026, officials formally deposited the paintings with the Archdiocese inside the Hospital of the Venerable Priests, marking the end of a 96-year absence.
Two oval oil paintings by Baroque artist Lucas Valdés have returned to the Hospital of the Venerable Priests in Seville after nearly a century missing from the church’s collection.
Spanish authorities recovered the works in May 2026 after seizing them from an auction house and later returned them through a mediated handover with the Archdiocese of Seville.
Originally removed in 1929 for the Ibero-American Exposition and never returned, the paintings once formed part of the church’s main altarpiece and now rejoin its Baroque interior after 96 years.
Sources: La Archidiócesis de Sevilla recupera dos cuadros de Lucas Valdés; Long-Lost 17th-Century Altarpiece Paintings Recovered After Nearly 100 Years
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Archdiocese of Seville.
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