A stolen still life artwork by the renowned 18th-century French painter Jean Siméon Chardin has been returned to the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi, the Georgian Culture Ministry said on Wednesday.

The exhibit, which went missing in 1994, resurfaced earlier this month when an unidentified individual brought it to the attention of the Ministry.

The body has confirmed the authenticity of the returned artwork through verification conducted by the recently launched Irakli Parjiani Artwork Research and Expertise Laboratory - the first such venue in the country specialising in examination of artwork.

The painting by Chardin was part of a trio of stolen masterpieces, along with Lucas Cranach’s Matchmaker and Jacob van Ruisdael’s Waterfall.  

While the latter two were recovered earlier, the return of the Chardin piece marked the 132nd artwork to be returned to the Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery venue since the spring of 2021, the Ministry noted.

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