A painting by Goya was stolen on its way from the collection of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio to a major exhibition that opens on Friday at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the two institutions announced yesterday.

The museums said in a statement that the 1778 painting, “Children With a Cart,” was stolen in the vicinity of Scranton, Pa., while in the care of a professional art transporter. They said the theft was discovered last week but refused to provide additional details on the crime. Officials at both museums said the F.B.I. was investigating the case and had warned them that releasing additional information might jeopardize the inquiry.

The painting was to be included in “Spanish Painting From El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth and History,” a sprawling exhibition of some 135 paintings by Spanish masters.

The two museums said the painting would be “virtually impossible to sell and therefore has no value on the open market.” While art that belongs to major museums is easily identified as stolen, the statement seemed intended in part to discourage any attempt at a clandestine sale.

The painting was insured for only $1 million, the museums said. The insurer is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the painting, they added. Their statement urged people with information about the theft to contact the Philadelphia division of the F.B.I. at (215) 418-4000.

The work, an oil on canvas measuring nearly five feet high and three feet wide, is a tapestry cartoon — an image that Goya painted for a factory that manufactured tapestries for the Spanish royal court.

The catalog entry for “Children With a Cart” says that Goya conceived the work for the bedroom of the Prince of Asturias. It depicts children at play, two of them inside a cart and another dressed in Dutch style, playing drums, while a fourth plays the trumpet.

More about Goya : The work, an oil on canvas measuring nearly five feet high and three feet wide, is a tapestry cartoon — an image that Goya painted for a factory that manufactured tapestries for the Spanish royal court.

The catalog entry for “Children With a Cart” says that Goya conceived the work for the bedroom of the Prince of Asturias. It depicts children at play, two of them inside a cart and another dressed in Dutch style, playing drums, while a fourth plays the trumpet.

Learn more about Goya

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