Painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder Stolen from Lutheran Church in Norway

Image of the painting made by German painter Lucas Cranach (1472-1553), which was stolen yesterday from the Larvik church, in the south of Norway, where it had been housed since 1677. Photo: EFE

OSLO.- A 450-year-old painting made by Lucas Cranach the Elder and estimated to be worth over $2 million was stolen from a Lutheran church in Norway.

“Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me” had been hanging at the Larvik church in southern part of the country for the past 330 years. The painting shows Christ in a blue robe holding two children in his lap and surrounded by several women with small children and a few men.

The heist was noticed by firefighters who responded to an alarm that went off at the church at 1:30 am on Sunday. After they got to the church they found a broken window and a ladder outside.

Police officer Petter Aronsen said to Norwegian news agency NTB that the thief or thieves probably had a car waiting nearby.

"We don't have any suspects and are very interested in talking to anyone who might have seen something," he said.

Cranach the Elder is one of the most significant German Renaissance painters.

OSLO (NORVEGE) [10.03.09] – Un tableau de Lucas Cranach l’Ancien a été dérobé dans une église de Larvik, près d’Oslo.

Le tableau de Lucas Cranach l’Ancien, Laissez venir à moi les petits enfants, a été volé dimanche dans une église norvégienne, rapporte l’agence NTB. Abritée depuis 1677 dans l’église de Larvik, cette peinture sur bois d’un mètre sur un mètre représente le Christ entouré d’enfants.

Les voleurs sont entrés dans l’église à l’aide d’une échelle et ont brisé une fenêtre, avant de s’emparer de ce tableau estimé par l’expert Gunnar Krogh-Hansen à 2,2 millions d’euros. La police a envoyé des avis de recherche dans le monde entier.

Lucas Cranach l’Ancien (1472-1553) est un peintre et graveur allemand de la Renaissance. Peintre de cour et ami de Martin Luther, il a contribué à développer une iconographie protestante en Europe. www.artclair.com