A Dutch art sleuth has received "proof-of-life" photos of a Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in late March from a Dutch museum in Laren, Netherlands, that was closed at the time because of the coronavirus. (Arthur Brand via AP)THE HAGUE A Dutch art sleuth has received proof-of-life photos of a Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in late March from a Dutch museum that was closed at the time because of the coronavirus. The second photo shows the back of the painting with a sticker bearing the name Vincent van Gogh, the dates 1853-1890 and handwritten text including the name of the painting in Dutch. Van Gogh worked on it when he had moved back to his family in a rural area of the Netherlands and painted the life he saw there, including his famous work The Potato Eaters, in mostly somber tones. He speculated that the March theft was a copycat of the 2002 theft from the Van Gogh Museum.

ADDIS ABABA – A rare and looted crown from the 18th century was returned to Ethiopia on Thursday after it was discovered in the Netherlands two decades ago. “I still don’t know how this crown and the other items were looted and taken out of Ethiopia,” the culture minister said, adding that several other items were stolen including a cross. Ethiopia, like many African nations, has been outspoken about seeing artifacts returned home from museums and private owners around the world. For years the crown was in the hands of Sirak Asfaw, a Dutch national of Ethiopian origin, the statement said. The Dutch minister for foreign trade, Sigrid Kaag, attended the handover ceremony.