The Strange History of the World’s Most Stolen Painting

Discover Jan van Eyck’s masterpiece, the Ghent Altarpiece, and explore how it became the world’s most stolen artwork. Throughout six centuries, the Ghent Altarpiece, also called “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” has been burned, forged, and raided in three different wars. It is, in fact, the world’s most stolen artwork— and is considered one of the most influential paintings ever made. What exactly makes the piece so special?