Case file #9
GHENT
Filed under art theft, 1930s.
- Era
- 1930s (1934)
- Date
- April 10
- Status
- Unsolved
Spoilers ahead
This page tells the whole case, including how it ended. Play the case first and see how far the six exhibits take you.
Read the case file
The Ghent Altarpiece (1432) has survived iconoclasts, French revolutionary troops, and the Third Reich, recovered from the Altaussee salt mine by the Monuments Men. But on April 10–11, 1934, the Just Judges panel vanished from St Bavo's Cathedral; ransom notes followed, signed D.U.A. Stockbroker Arsène Goedertier, dying that November, told his lawyer he alone knew where the panel was; a draft ransom letter found in his office said it could not be retrieved without drawing the public's attention. Despite generations of theories (and diggers), the panel has never surfaced; a 1945 copy hangs in its place, and Ghent police still log tips. It remains the art world's favorite unsolved riddle.