Portrait of Stéphane Breitwieser by Jean-Paul Matifat

Stéphane Breitwieser may be Europe's most notorious art thief. And, after having stolen over 240 works of art — including a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder and some Renaissance jewels — served prison time, and, naturally, published a memoir ("Confessions of an Art Thief"), the man is at it again. The 39-year-old was arrested near Strasbourg, France, recently, along with his mother, Mireille Stengel, after police learned that he had tried to sell a stolen vase in Germany. Upon searching their homes, the French art trafficking squad discovered stolen paintings and other art objects that the two had concealed. At Breitwieser's home, police discovered about 40 paintings, three sculptures, and a tapestry, French newspaper Le Parisien reports. At Breitwieser's mother's place, cops also found a landscape by a Brueghel pupil that had been stolen from a Brussels museum. Several valuable objects, including chandeliers and pocket watches, were also discovered in the pond next to Breitwieser's mother's house. In the past, she destroyed several paintings in order to protect her son, and also hid his stolen artworks along a highway, in a canal, and even in a neighbor's chicken coop. Breitwieser is currently free on bail but may face additional charges as the investigation continues. - ARTINFO