A baroque tapestry has been returned to the heirs of art collector Albert Freiherr von Goldschmidt-Rothschild (1879–1941).
The Federal Art Administration of Germany identified the tapestry as Nazi-looted art and returned it to the heirs of Albert Freiherr von Goldschmidt-Rothschild.
Investigations have shown that the Baroque tapestry was "taken away from its owner due to persecution" during the Nazi regime, said the Federal Art Administration based in Berlin. The tapestry originates from a French manufacturer and depicts the shore of a bay with water birds. It was in Goldschmidt-Rothschild's collection in Frankfurt until 1936, when, under pressure, he was forced to auction it off.
By 1939 at the latest, the tapestry had become part of Hermann Göring's art collection. Göring was Hitler's right-hand man. After World War II, American forces seized it and in 1960, the tapestry was transferred from former Reich property to federal property. Goldschmidt-Rothschild and his wife Marion amassed an extensive and renowned art collection. In 1939, he emigrated to Switzerland, where he lived with his wife and their children.
In a statement, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth said that the investigations into the Nazi theft of cultural property are "continually bringing to light new insights into the systemic depths of the Nazi reign of terror. It remains the task of society as a whole to convey these insights."
Main Image: Courtesy, Kunstverwaltung des Bundes