Stolen on Thursday, Found in Friday: Art Thieves Got a Slip

18th century painting of Bishop Jozef Pawlowski, in massive, wooden frame (90x200 cm) was stolen in broad daylight from one of Poznan's Old Town churches.
An investigation was launched immediately, and one of the witnesses testified that he had seen a man carrying a painting through a nearby square.
In the evening of the same day the portrait was recovered, after it was found in the courtyard of a tenement house, 200 m away from the actual church. The culprit turned out a 32-year old man, with a previous theft record.
Whether the theft was commissioned, it will be now investigated, as will be the condition of the painting. It seems that it is untouched, though it stood for some time in the frosty weather.