AMSTERDAM: It was 10:30pm on a Friday when Arthur Brand got the delivery he was nervously expecting.

His doorbell rang, and when he opened the door no one was there. Instead, a cardboard box was waiting for him at the door in the dark. In that box he said was one of the most sacred artefacts ever stolen from the Catholic Church: the “Precious Blood of Christ” relic.

“(My) heart was beating in (my) chest,” the Dutch art detective told AFP in an interview about the recovery of the stolen treasure.

Brand is dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the Art World” for his remarkable recoveries of stolen art, including the “Hitler’s Horses” bronze statues, a Picasso painting and a ring that once belonged to Oscar Wilde.

At 52, he is one of the most famous art sleuths in the world, trusted by both thieves and police for his unprecedented access to the criminal trade in stolen art. But getting his hands on the “Precious Blood of Christ” relic was a particularly special experience for him.

“As a Catholic myself, this is about as close to Jesus and the legend of the Holy Grail you can get. It was a religious experience,” he said.

When he opened the box, he discovered what he hoped he would: the relic perfectly intact. The ornate container, about 30 centimetres (11 inches) high, has two metal bulbs inside and is said to hold drops of Jesus’ blood collected in the Holy Grail during the crucifixion.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2022