Greece: Couple who had stolen work were 'amateurs'

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece — A leading Greek art expert has described two suspects who received a stolen 17th century artwork and were then arrested when they left the museum label on the back as "amateurs."

A cameraman records at the National Gallery a stolen 17th-century Pieter Paul Rubens painting "The Hunt for the Caledonian Wild Boar" during a presentation by the Greek authorities in Athens, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The painting was stolen in 2001 from the Fine Arts Museum in Ghent, Belgium, by three masked robbers. Court officials said two Greeks who were arrested during an operation that recovered the stolen painting have been charged with money laundering on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Employees of the National Gallery hold a stolen 17th-century Pieter Paul Rubens painting "The Hunt for the Caledonian Wild Boar" during a presentation by the Greek authorities in Athens, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The painting was stolen in 2001 from the Fine Arts Museum in Ghent, Belgium, by three masked robbers. Court officials said two Greeks who were arrested during an operation that recovered the stolen painting have been charged with money laundering on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Employees of the National Gallery hold a stolen 17th-century Pieter Paul Rubens painting "The Hunt for the Caledonian Wild Boar" during a presentation by the Greek authorities in Athens, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. The painting was stolen in 2001 from the Fine Arts Museum in Ghent, Belgium, by three masked robbers. Court officials said two Greeks who were arrested during an operation that recovered the stolen painting have been charged with money laundering on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

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The painting — one of several versions of "The Calydonian Boar Hunt" by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens — was stolen in Belgium a decade ago and recovered in Athens in a Sept. 1 police raid.

Police and Greek cultural authorities presented the painting Thursday. A 64-year-old man and 40-year-old woman accused of receiving the stolen work have been charged with money laundering.

National Art Gallery director Marina Lambraki-Plaka referred to the two Friday as "amateurs — unless they had some other reason for keeping the identification details on the back of the painting."

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September 08, 2011 10:41 AM EDT

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