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But the museum said the oil sketch that was stolen in 2001, "The Calydonian Boar Hunt", is now attributed to one of Rubens's followers and not the painter's celebrated brush strokes.
"The news in the press was received with great enthusiasm by the museum staff and collaborators," said Marie-Julie Dellaert, spokeswoman of the Fine Arts Museum of Ghent.
"If this news is confirmed it is hoped that the work can be exhibited in the museum as soon as possible," Dellaert said, adding that authorities had yet to contact the museum.
The Greek culture ministry announced Thursday that it had recovered a Rubens painting dated 1618 that was stolen in Belgium in 2001. Two Greeks were arrested for allegedly attempting to sell the artwork.
Prosecuters have launched money-laundering charges against a 65-year-old male, a former antiques dealer, and a woman in her 40s.
They were caught by police officers posing as potential buyers, the ANA news agency reported.
Their lawyer Costas Karamanlis said they deny any link to the theft. The woman from Rhodes said she was offered the work by an Italian lover in 2003 who said it was a copy, while the ex-dealer said he too was unaware of the painting's history.
The Ghent museum was the victim of a robbery in 2001 when thieves grabbed two paintings.
On their way out, Dellaert said, the robbers dropped one of the artworks, "The Flagellation of Christ", but ran away with "The Calydonian Boar Hunt".
While the dropped painting is a genuine Rubens, the museum said the other piece was probably copied by one of the painter's assistants from the original oil sketch, which is not in a private collection.
"It is itself a vigorous sketch and an attractive painting. The work is a good example of how Rubens's style was assimilated by his pupils," Dellaert said.
Nevertheless, the museum is eager to reclaim its painting, which at the time of the theft was worth an estimated 200,000 euros ($284,000).
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"The news in the press was received with great enthusiasm by the museum staff and collaborators," said Marie-Julie Dellaert, spokeswoman of the Fine Arts Museum of Ghent.
"If this news is confirmed it is hoped that the work can be exhibited in the museum as soon as possible," Dellaert said, adding that authorities had yet to contact the museum.
The Greek culture ministry announced Thursday that it had recovered a Rubens painting dated 1618 that was stolen in Belgium in 2001. Two Greeks were arrested for allegedly attempting to sell the artwork.
Prosecuters have launched money-laundering charges against a 65-year-old male, a former antiques dealer, and a woman in her 40s.
They were caught by police officers posing as potential buyers, the ANA news agency reported.
Their lawyer Costas Karamanlis said they deny any link to the theft. The woman from Rhodes said she was offered the work by an Italian lover in 2003 who said it was a copy, while the ex-dealer said he too was unaware of the painting's history.
The Ghent museum was the victim of a robbery in 2001 when thieves grabbed two paintings.
On their way out, Dellaert said, the robbers dropped one of the artworks, "The Flagellation of Christ", but ran away with "The Calydonian Boar Hunt".
While the dropped painting is a genuine Rubens, the museum said the other piece was probably copied by one of the painter's assistants from the original oil sketch, which is not in a private collection.
"It is itself a vigorous sketch and an attractive painting. The work is a good example of how Rubens's style was assimilated by his pupils," Dellaert said.
Nevertheless, the museum is eager to reclaim its painting, which at the time of the theft was worth an estimated 200,000 euros ($284,000).
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