ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 12 (UPI) -- Russian police seized a stolen painting by Marc Chagall as it was being given to smugglers in a St. Petersburg restaurant.
The St. Petersburg Times said "Khasid" was stolen from a private collection four years ago. The painting has been valued at $1 million.
Chagall, born in Vitebsk, studied in St. Petersburg and Paris. He returned to Russia in 1914 but left again in 1923, living in France until his death in 1985.
"This piece of art has come through a long chain of mediators, from second-hand dealers to rather important people from Moscow's Rublyovskoye Shosse who owned the picture for a while," the St. Petersburg police said.
The State Russian Museum is now showing the largest exhibit ever of Chagall's works in the country.
