It’s a mystery that has concentrated Flemish minds for nearly a century now. 90 years ago the side panel of the Just Judges was stolen from Ghent Cathedral. It formed part of the world famous Ghent Altarpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, by the Van Eyck Brothers. It has never been seen since. So where is it? There is no shortage of conspiracy theories and suspicions. Does the work still exist and will we ever see it again?
It was on the night of 10 April 1934, two panels belonging to the 15th-century artwork 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' by the Van Eyck Brothers were stolen from St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent.
The theft involved the panels of the Just Judges and John the Baptist. Originally, the 2 together had formed the front and back of one single panel, but in the 19th century it had been cut into two and the two had been separated.
The back panel of 'John the Baptist' was quickly found in a luggage locker at the Brussels North Station. It had been returned by a certain 'D.U.A.', an anonymous extortionist who wanted the return of the work to prove that he was indeed the real thief and had the works in his possession. Negotiations with the authorities broke down and the second panel of the Just Judges has been missing ever since.
In the autumn of 1934, on his deathbed, Arseen Goedertier, a man from Wetteren (East Flanders), confessed that he had something to do with the disappearance. He died before he could reveal where the panel now was and whether he had acted on someone's instructions. Evidence was recovered from his home, however, suggesting that he may have been the extortionist.
During the Nazi occupation of Belgium during the Second World War German troops also searched for the Just Judges. As far as we know, without result.
Incidentally, the investigation is still ongoing. A few years ago, the investigators provided the public at large with an update. At this time, they also released some archive documents from the 1930s. Among them the photo of Arseen Goedertier above.
Destroyed or in the royal crypt?
Over the years, dozens of theories about what might have happened to the panel have surfaced. Every so often, a new theory or a new version of an existing one pops up.
For instance, there remains the persistent story that the painting is still in Ghent Cathedral or very nearby. In 2019, for example, another dig was carried out on Kalandeberg, a square close to the cathedral. But no panel was found, just a rather old and somewhat disappointing iron ladder.
Another somewhat wilder theory involves the Belgian royal family. According to that version, the panel is in the royal crypt of Albert I, King of Belgians. The unfortunate monarch died in the same year as the panels disappeared. The official version is that the king was killed during a rock climbing accident in Marche-les-Dames (Wallonia), though here too conspiracy theories abound, but that is for another occasion.
Some sources have even linked His death to the disappearance of the famous panel. The fact that the royal palace has always failed to give permission to search the crypt some say is 'suspicious'.
The painting could also have been destroyed. At least that is what journalist Rudy Pieters claims in his book 'The Revenge of the Mystic Lam'. According to Pieters, the Just Judges were destroyed in 1971.
However, he does not seem entirely convinced of that himself. "So far, no one has claimed to have witnessed that destruction, so perhaps there is still hope," he writes.
In good condition with a prominent family?
A more hopeful theory is the one that says that the painting might be in the hands of a prominent Ghent family. It is the theory launched in 2014 by historian and former Brussels MP Paul De Ridder. According to him, the family dare not come forward with the panel, out of fear of a scandal
De Ridder says he received his information from Professor Robert Senelle, a lecturer in constitutional law, who died in 2013. According to De Ridder, Senelle mediated between the family and the diocese with a view to returning the panel, but to no avail.
The painting had allegedly been stolen in 1934 to force the diocese to save a banking group from collapse. Many Catholic families had invested their capital in the bank and it was in serious trouble at the time.
The historian went to the judicial authorities with his story, but that too failed to produce a breakthrough. "People were questioned, but they denied everything," De Ridder later said.
"The painting is still supposed to be in good condition though," De Ridder, who stressed that he himself had never seen it, continued. "It has been restored several times and held by the family for years. So all I ask is that they return it."
By no means everyone believes this version. "I knew Senelle well and he never mentioned the Just Judges to me," says political journalist Rik Van Cauwelaert. Van Cauwelaert is said by some to belong to the family De Ridder is referring to.
What to believe?
There are so many fascinating theories. As long as the panel does not turn up, it remains unclear what really happened. "It's folklore," TV producer and amateur historian Jelle De Beule calls the various theories. De Beule himself is fascinated by the story, but regrets that a haze of conspiracy theories surround it
"Every time it's the silly season, another square is broken up somewhere," he says. "The downside is that this folklore also immediately devalues the whole story. Every time you bring it up, you are met by people rolling their eyes, while there are plenty of credible sources and witnesses who tell a legitimate story."
De Beule is a strong believer in historian De Ridder's version. "I speak from my own conviction, but I think there are enough clues that show there is a probability that the painting still exists and is in the hands of a family and is the subject of negotiations."
If that is the case, De Beule says, the family should overcome what he calls their "petty self-interest". It's unclear whether that is a reference to an argument over the cost of the alleged restoration or the scandal that the family would face. "Give it back, it is world heritage and it belongs to all of us," he says.
