Fifteen years ago this week, the Mead Art Museum and the College deliberated together over whether to repurchase two stolen paintings worth over $400,000 that the FBI had recently recovered in Illinois. Stolen from the Museum in 1975, the paintings were "The Interior of the Church in Delft" by Dutch painter Van der Vliet, Rembrandt's mentor, and "St. John the Baptist" by Flemish painter Peiter Lastman. The paintings were found when the thieves used them to secure a line of credit in a drug deal set up by FBI agents. A third painting and an Oriental rug were also taken along with the paintings, but their whereabouts were yet to be determined.

The works had been at the Museum for less than a week when they were stolen. They had been purchased to develop the collection of Dutch and Flemish artwork. At the time of the loss, Museum Director and Professor of Fine Arts Frank Trapp lamented, "I very much regret their loss. They were part of a strategy to build up a group of things that were appropriate for a display of that period of art." After their recovery, he added that the paintings had appreciated manifold in value since that time.

Although the College was reimbursed for the theft of the paintings in 1975, Treasurer Jim Scott admitted that officials were discussing their possible repurchase. "It has to be explored," he said. "We owe that to ourselves." Trapp also explained that while the insurance payout after the loss was spent on another Van der Vliet and other works for the Dutch and Flemish collection, replacements could hardly make up for the originals, since the Museum no longer had the benefit of their use or their appreciation in value. It seemed likely, however, that unless some special deal was made regarding the restoration of the paintings to the Mead Art Museum, their appreciated value would price them out of the College's budget.

Myles J. Connor, a convicted drug dealer, was arrested and later pled guilty to charges of narcotics and transportation of stolen property. The perpetrators of the original theft, which was one among a string of similar crimes in the Northeast, were believed to still be at large.