Six Picasso prints stolen from a restaurant on the French Riviera have been found hidden under a pile of clothes in a nearby house, a month after the break-in.

French authorities discovered the works on Tuesday 3 November, during searches in the village of Mougins, and arrested seven suspects in connection with the theft, the French National Gendarmerie said in a press release. The prints, which have an estimated worth of more than €100,000, were found in perfect condition behind clothes and toolboxes in one of the houses searched, according to Le Monde. Details and images of the works have not yet been made public.

The theft took place on the night of 1 October, when two masked intruders broke into L'Amandier, a restaurant in the village, while a getaway driver waited outside. The pair took six artworks on display in the restaurant's Salon Picasso lounge.

The setting carries its own history. Picasso first visited Mougins in 1936 and returned decades later to spend the last 12 years of his life at Notre-Dame-de-Vie, the estate on the edge of the village. The former farming village became a tourism destination after his arrival, and the restaurant's Salon Picasso lounge pays tribute to the Spanish artist and his effect on the place.

The recovery closes the immediate chapter of a theft that drew attention well beyond the village, but the authorities have released little further detail. The titles of the recovered prints remain undisclosed, and no information has been given about when the suspects will appear in court or what charges they face.