According To Police, 17th-Century Paintings Were Discovered In Roadside Garbage

BERLIN — Two 17th-century paintings were discovered in a motorway rest stop garbage on Friday, prompting a police plea for information about their probable owners.

Last month, a 64-year-old man discovered the oil paintings at a rest stop in Ohrenbach in central Germany, according to police.

He later turned them up to authorities in Cologne, Germany.

According to authorities, an initial examination by an art expert determined that the two framed paintings were originals.

One is a 1665 self-portrait by Pietro Bellotti, which shows the Italian artist smiling.

The other is a 17th-century Dutch artist Samuel van Hoogstraten’s picture of a boy, whose date is uncertain.