In 1794, during the French Revolution, French revolutionaries took control of Bruges and took the statue with them to Paris. Only after the end of the Napoleonic era, in 1816, did the statue return to its original place, but not for long. It was stolen a second time in 1944 by Germans fleeing Bruges after American troops arrived in that part of Europe. Along with the statue, the Nazis also looted other Renaissance works of art. They transported the supposedly mattress-wrapped cargo across the border in a Red Cross truck. Eventually, the statue ended up in the Altaussee salt mine, where it was found in 1945 by a special team tasked by President F.D. Roosevelt with the mission of rescuing artworks stolen by the Nazis throughout Europe. Eventually, the Madonna and Child was returned to Bruges.
