Valuable Spanish painting left on street salvaged by man who liked its frame

Andrés Hurtado found work by Joaquín Sorolla after its owners mislaid it, before responding to theft alert

The mystery of a small and very valuable picture by the Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla that vanished over the weekend has been solved after a man told police he had mistaken the painting for junk when he found it on a Seville street but rescued it because he liked the frame.

Rather than being entranced by the painting’s subject matter – two boats off a beach – Andrés Hurtado was instead captivated by its handsome gold frame.