The picture (page 2), depicting the martyrdom of St Edmund, was stolen from St Andrew’s Church Greensted between noon and 4.30pm on Sunday, 22nd January. David Tester, the church warden who found that the painting was missing, said: “It’s irreplaceable, so it’s a bitter blow.”
The last time the painting was valued, more than 25 years ago, when it was estimated to be worth £8,000.
The painting dates from the 16th century and is painted on a wooden panel about two feet tall and a foot wide, which would originally have formed part of a trio of paintings joined together with hinges.
Anyone with information on the theft should call Pc Lisa Kennedy at Epping or Ongar police stations.