Robles Casas & Campos Photograph from a house listing featuring the stolen painting, emPortrait of a Lady/em by Giuseppe Ghislandi.
An 18th-century work of art stolen by the Nazis during World War II has recently been found thanks to photographs from a house listing in Argentina.
The painting emPortrait of a Lady/em by the Italian Baroque artist Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi was part of a collection of more than 1,100 works confiscated from the Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker after the occupation of the Netherlands in 1940. Although part of the collection was later returned, the work was considered lost for eight decades.
The painting was discovered by journalists from the Netherlands, who spent several years searching for it. Now Goudstikker's only heir hopes to restore her rights to the family property.
emPortrait Of A Lady/em Discovered In Argentine Real Estate Ad
Dutch Cultural Heritage AgencyPhotograph of a Lady's Portrait.
Investigative journalists from the Algemeen Dagblad (AD) spent nearly ten years searching for the missing masterpiece. In their work, they focused on the figure of Friedrich Kadgien, a member of the SS and financial adviser to Hermann Goering, who held a high position in the Nazi hierarchy.
Göring, like other members of the regime, participated in the looting of the Goudstikker collection. According to research, at least two works from his collection, including the Portrait of a Lady, passed from Göring to Kadgien.
In recent years, journalists have reconstructed Cadgien's post-war biography. It is known that he moved to South America, taking with him jewelry and two confiscated paintings. After his death in 1978, his property in Mar del Plata was inherited by two daughters.
AD correspondent Peter Schouten visited the family’s home but was unable to meet the owners. Noticing a “For Sale” sign, the reporter studied the online ad. “As I was looking through the photos, my husband suddenly asked, ‘Is this the wrong painting?’” Schouten told ABC News. “I said, ‘It can’t be. They’ve been looking for it for 80 years … Is it just hanging over a couch in Mar del Plata?’ But it was.”
The photographs from the advertisement were sent to the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), where they confirmed that the work corresponded to the description of “Portrait of a Lady”. A final confirmation of authenticity requires a physical examination.
“Post-war documents point to the painting's ownership by Cadgien,” explained researcher Annelies Cool. “Considering his move to Argentina and the painting's current location in the heirs' home, it is logical to assume that it has been in the family for decades.”
Additional photographs of the interiors with the painting were received by the editors from an anonymous source.
Wikimedia Commons A soldier among works of art seized from the Nazis in 1945.
Attempts to contact Kadgien's daughters via email, Instagram and WhatsApp were unsuccessful. One of the heirs blocked reporters after a brief question about their goals.
The real estate agency Robles Casas y Campos has removed the photographs of the painting and the information about the sale of the property.
Marai von Sacher, Goodstikker's daughter-in-law and his sole heir, intends to seek the return of the work.
Wikimedia CommonsJacques Goudstikker, photographed in November 1938, less than two years before his death.
The Portrait of a Lady is not the only work from Goudstikker's collection that could potentially be in the hands of Cadgien's heirs. According to archival data, he also brought to Argentina a painting by the 17th-century Dutch master Abraham Mignon.
An image similar to this work appeared on social media of one of the daughters in 2012, but its current location is unknown. Von Sacher plans to continue searching.
“After the war, hundreds of Nazi refugees settled in Argentina,” noted journalist Cyril Rosman. “How many more stolen valuables are still being passed down in families?”
Learn about other cases of Nazi trophies being returned, including the story of a 17th-century painting given to a 101-year-old owner, and the heroism of Resistance fighters.
Sourse: www.allthatsinteresting.com
