75 Years Later, Nazi-Stolen Painting is Returned to Italy

Vase of Flowers, a small oil painting that has earned a strong cultural significance, has started its journey back to its rightful home in Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The work by Dutch artist Jan van Huysum was first displayed in Florence in 1842. In 1944, during World War II, the painting, along with other pieces shown in Palazzo Pitti, was brought to a nearby town for safekeeping. Yet, the Vase of Flowers was swiped by Nazi troops as they were leaving Florence that same year. It’s one of the few paintings that has been recovered since then.

The painting was discovered in 1991 in the custody of a German family, descendents of a World War II soldier. However, due to statute of limitation laws preventing crimes from being brought to trial after a certain period of time, the City of Florence could not retrieve it. The descendants of the German soldier who had custody of the painting insisted that the soldier bought the painting in a market to bring home to his wife while he was away at war. Claiming that it had not been stolen, the family requested 2 million Euros for the return of the painting to Italy.

At the beginning of 2018, Eike Schmidt, the director of the Uffizi Galleries, publicly stated that it was the moral obligation of the German government to help return the stolen pieces to their rightful home. The German government responded to Schmidt with action, by negotiating and receiving custody of the painting. It is unknown whether the family of the German soldier is being compensated for the painting, but the German government has promised to return the painting to the Palazzo Pitti at a date soon to be determined.

This success is seen as the first step in the battle against the statute of limitations against Nazi-looted art that has been preventing the return of the many pieces of art that were stolen during World War II.

– Shauni Bernier