A long lost painting looted decades ago in Nazi occupied Europe has been recovered in Argentina, officials have said.
Portrait of a Lady, by Italian master Giuseppe Ghislandi, had been missing for 80 years before it was spotted last month on an estate agent’s website, where a photo showed it hanging in a house that had belonged to the daughter of a Nazi fugitive.
Patricia Kadgien’s late father Friedrich had been a top adviser to Hermann Goring, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, who plundered thousands of works from across Europe.
Prosecutors said the artwork had now been returned by the lawyer of Ms Kadgien, who was under house arrest after a search of her property initially failed to find the painting.
Ariel Bassano, an art expert who worked on the case, told reporters it was “in good condition for its age, as it dates from 1710”.
He valued it at “around $50,000”, according to the local La Capital Mar del Plata newspaper.
Prosecutors earlier said raids at other properties linked to the family had turned up other pieces that may have been stolen during the war.
Ms Kadgien and her husband had been ordered to remain under house arrest for three days starting Monday, local media reported. They were being questioned for obstructing the investigation to locate the painting, according to a judicial official quoted in local media.
The pair were expected to face a hearing on Thursday, where they would likely be charged with “concealment of theft in the context of genocide”, the official added.
Credit: bbc.com
