A drawing by Rembrandt, valued at $250,000, was stolen from a Southern California hotel over the weekend.

The pen and ink drawing known as "The Judgment" by the 17th century Dutch master was taken from an exhibition at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey Saturday night, the Marina del Rey Sheriff's Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

The 11-by-6-inch painting was snatched when the curator was distracted by another person for about 15 minutes, said Steve Whitmore, a sheriff's spokesman.

"When he turned back, the pen-and-ink drawing was gone," Whitmore said. "We believe there was more than one person involved," he added.

Whitmore declined to say whether the person who distracted the curator was connected to the theft. The heist was "well-thought-out and well-planned," Whitmore added.

Investigators were examining hotel surveillance video on Sunday for clues to help them solve the case.

The Rembrandt drawing was put on display in the hotel lobby. It was part of an event in which art pieces are put on display for potential buyers. The painting belongs to the Linearis Institute of San Francisco.

Art experts believe works by Rembrandt and Picasso are among the most popular targets for art thieves because of the artist's fame and value, states a Los Angeles Times report.

There are about 700 surviving drawings that experts agree to be Rembrandt's work, Tom Mashberg, co-author of the book "Stealing Rembrandts," told the Los Angeles Times.

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