Works from the 15th century were in the Museum of Pontevedra; investigation took 2 years to complete
The Museum of Pontevedra, in Spain, returned on Wednesday (25.jan.2023) two paintings from the 15th century to Poland. After 2 years of investigations, it was determined that the works were stolen by German Nazi forces during World War II.
“Poland has lost hundreds of thousands of works of its heritage. Locating a looted work can take years. We appreciate the speed of this process”, said Elzbieta Rogowska, director of Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, at the ceremony marking the handover.
The returned paintings are: “Mater Dolorosa” and “Ecce Homo”. They were originally attributed to the Dutchman Dieric Bouts (1415-1475), but it turned out that they were painted “by someone from your school or your group”, according the Provincial Council of Pontevedra.
According to the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, the works will be kept in the National Museum of Poznan, in Poland, until it is determined where they will be exhibited.
The body explained that the news of the identification of the paintings as looted property emerged in December 2020, when a representative of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland contacted the Museum of Pontevedra.
According to the documentation provided, the two pieces belonged to the Czartoryski Collection in Gołuchów, which had been stolen by the Germans during World War II. They reappeared in the Madrid art trade in 1973.
The paintings arrived at the museum as part of the collection of collector José Fernández López. Since 1994, they have been part of the museum’s own collection.
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