MADRID.- A small but remarkable treasure is on its way back to the Museo del Prado: a preparatory sketch by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo that was stolen from the institution in 1897 and quietly hung for decades in the Municipal Museum of Pau, in southern France.

The rediscovery was the result of a routine inventory the Louvre conducts every ten years in French regional museums. During the 2024 review in Pau, one of the technicians suspected that a modest-looking oil sketch—long attributed to a lesser-known artist—might in fact be the work of the celebrated Sevillian painter.

That intuition set off a chain of scholarly confirmations and diplomatic coordination. Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau, the Louvre’s specialist in Spanish painting, consulted Benito Navarrete, professor of Art History at the Complutense University of Madrid. Navarrete quickly recognized the piece as Murillo’s study for Saint Anne Teaching the Virgin, a work originally owned by Queen Isabel de Farnesio and later part of the Prado’s collections.

Navarrete notified the Prado, and soon cultural authorities from both countries began working together to clarify the artwork’s history and arrange its return.

A Clue Long Hidden in Plain Sight

The painting’s disappearance had never been fully forgotten. Early 20th-century Spanish newspapers occasionally referenced rumors that a missing Murillo sketch might be in France. In 1909, El Imparcial even reported that the painting was already “on public display in the Municipal Museum of Pau.” Similar mentions resurfaced in the press in later decades, including in 1936, when negotiations for restitution were briefly discussed.

Despite the press trail, official archives offer little clarity. A review of documents from the Spanish Embassy and consulates in Paris and Pau between 1897 and 1917 produced no concrete information about how the artwork left Spain or arrived in the French museum.

A Ten-Year Loan, a Step Towards Resolution

Although the work is now recognized as property of the Prado, the French government must finalize specific legal procedures before it can be formally restituted. Until then, France has granted Spain a renewable ten-year loan, allowing the sketch to return home while both nations continue working on a permanent solution.

The Prado, in coordination with Spain’s Ministry of Culture, has managed all transport and loan arrangements. The museum plans to display the piece starting December 1 as part of its new exhibition route dedicated to Queen Isabel de Farnesio, within the broader program “El Prado en femenino”.

A Lost Masterpiece Rejoins Its History

For the Prado, the recovery is both symbolic and significant—a small fragment of its heritage returning after more than a century abroad.

The newly identified sketch will not only enrich the museum’s holdings but also shed light on Murillo’s working process, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the artist’s preparatory practice. After 128 years of uncertainty, the painting will finally regain its place in the history from which it vanished.