An 18th-century painting by English master John Opie has been returned to the family that bought it for $7,500 during the Great Depression following its theft in 1969, according to the announcement and public release of FBI's Salt Lake City field office last Friday, Jan. 26.
How John Opie's 'The Schoolmistress' was Stolen
The piece, dubbed "The Schoolmistress," measures 40-inch tall by 50-inch wide and is closely related to another painting currently housed in London's Tate Britain Gallery.
The investigation team handling the case believes it was looted by New Jersey mobsters with assistance from a former lawmaker in the state. The piece was passed around among the organized crime members before it eventually landed in St. George, a Southern Utah city.
There, a man found the painting after he had bought the house it was in from Joseph Covello Sr., a previously convicted mobster who has connections to the infamous Gambino family.
After the Utah house owner died in 2020, an accounting firm in the state uncovered pieces of evidence that identified the piece as stolen during the liquidation of the man's property assets.
It was then taken by the firm as they endeavored to find out who owned it before eventually tracking down the 96-year-old Dr. Francis Wood-son of Dr. Earl Wood, the original owner of the piece-in the New Jersey city of Newark.
Retained in Good Condition Despite Being 240 Years Old
Gary France, the Special Agent assigned to the case, expressed his amazement at the extensive and arduous provenance history of the piece.
"It traveled all through the U.K. when it was first painted, and owned by quite a few families in the UK," said France.
He adds: "And then it travels overseas to the United States and is sold during the Great Depression and then stolen by the mob and recovered by the FBI decades later. It's quite amazing."
According to a report by AP News, the painting has remained in relatively good condition across the decades, with only a few small parts of the piece fading. Thus, it is now in the process of being restored ahead of its appraisal.
Dr. David, the son of the original owner, told the publication: "It has one or two minor blemishes, but for a painting that's 240 years old and has been on a roundabout journey, it's in pretty good shape."
He then proceeded to express his gratitude to "whoever has had their hands on it," as those people had taken good care of the Opie piece.
