Stolen masterpieces found in bushes

● Two priceless Rembrandt paintings are feared damaged after they were found dumped in soaking, muddy undergrowth following a heist from a London art gallery.

Police are hunting for the brazen thief, who is thought to have targeted the works in order to claim a ransom from insurers.

The paintings were stolen on Wednesday night from the Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London, which has been hosting a major Rembrandt exhibition featuring more than 30 works by the Dutch master.

Although police and the gallery refused to confirm which two works had been targeted, the exhibition included some of his most famous paintings, including Girl at

a Window and The Pilgrims at Emmaus, which was on loan from the Louvre.

The thief managed to get out of the gallery with the paintings, but abandoned them in the grounds after realising the alarm had been triggered. They were recovered by police and security staff, but were being assessed by experts as to any potential damage.

The gallery, which was set up in 1817 and is England’s oldest public art gallery, has been the scene of a number of heists in the past, most famously in 1966 when eight paintings, including three by Rembrandt, were stolen.

The gallery also has an entry in Guinness World Records for being the custodian of the most stolen picture in the world — a little Rembrandt portrait that has been stolen four times, most recently in the 1980s.

The painting is so well known in the art world that thieves found it impossible to sell.