Anders Zorn's Painting Hins Anders Featured in New Virtual Museum for Stolen Cultural Artifacts

In 2000, Anders Zorn’s painting Hins Anders was stolen from the Thiel Gallery. The painting is now included in the world’s first museum dedicated to stolen cultural artifacts, which was launched yesterday by UNESCO at the international cultural conference Mondiacult in Barcelona. The museum is virtual and brings together 3D models of stolen and missing cultural objects from more than 40 countries.

The museum is unique in that its goal is to one day be empty—as objects are hopefully found and returned to their countries of origin. It is a collaboration between UNESCO and Interpol.

As the responsible heritage authority in Sweden, the Swedish National Heritage Board has led the work on Swedish nominations. This work has been carried out in close cooperation with the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, the National Operations Department (NOA) of the Swedish Police, and the Governmental Network Against Illicit Trade. By participating in the museum, Sweden aims to highlight these issues on both an international and national level.

“The museum is an important platform for spreading knowledge about the problems of illicit trade and for once again making stolen and missing cultural objects accessible to the public. It can also serve as a tool to raise awareness and understanding of how threatened cultural heritage actually is—even in Sweden,” says Susanne Thedéen, Director General of the Swedish National Heritage Board.

Sweden has contributed six items to the museum:

• Two decorated Colt revolvers, a gift from Abraham Lincoln to King Charles XV, stolen from the Royal Armoury in the 1960s.
• The Havor Ring, a unique gold neck ring from the 2nd century AD, stolen from the Gotland Museum in 1986.
• Anders Zorn’s painting Hins Anders from 1904, stolen from the Thiel Gallery in 2000.
• A wooden sculpture of Saint Olaf from the 1320s, stolen from Tidersrum Church in 2010.
• A bishop’s crozier made by silversmith Baron Erik Fleming, stolen from Lund Cathedral in 2009.
• A relic containing a part of Saint Bridget of Sweden’s arm, in a golden reliquary—originally a gift from Pope Pius IX to Queen Josephine of Sweden—stolen from the Catholic Church of Saint Eugenia in Stockholm in 2014.

About Hins Anders

Anders Zorn’s painting portrays Hins Anders, Dalarna’s foremost violinist . Wearing a round hat and a long calfskin coat, he plays his violin with intense concentration. In 1885, Anders Zorn settled permanently in Mora with his wife Emma. The couple became deeply involved in preserving Swedish folk music at a time when the accordion was beginning to push out traditional instruments like the horn and fiddle.

Zorn was one of Sweden’s most significant artists at the turn of the 20th century and also achieved major success internationally as a portrait painter—particularly in the United States, where he was commissioned by presidents, business leaders, and members of high society.

In 1905, the painting was exhibited at the Venice Biennale, and that same year, Ernest Thiel acquired the work directly from Zorn. Since then, the painting has been part of the Thiel Gallery’s collection and was displayed in a central location in the museum until its theft in 2000. The portrait holds great artistic and art historical value and was included in the 1983 Swedish stamp series Music in Sweden, which was named the most beautiful in the world.

In 2023, Zorn’s etching Village Violinist (Byspelman, 1904) was donated to the museum. Its subject is recognizable from the painting Hins Anders.ers.