An Italian masterpiece looted by the Nazis during World War II has resurfaced more than 80 years later, unexpectedly appearing in photos from an Argentine real estate listing.
The painting, Portrait of a Lady by late-baroque portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi, was spotted hanging above a sofa inside a home near Buenos Aires.
The house once belonged to a senior Nazi official who fled to South America after the war, according to Dutch newspaper AD.
The work, which is listed on a database of art stolen during the conflict, was linked to the sale after the official’s daughter put the property on the market.
The portrait is part of the vast collection of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who played a role in helping fellow Jews escape Nazi persecution.
Goudstikker himself died in a tragic accident at sea while fleeing the Netherlands and was buried in England.
Following his death, more than 1,100 of his works were seized through a forced sale to top Nazi officials, including Hermann Göring.
While hundreds were recovered after the war and displayed at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, many remained missing.
In 2006, Goudstikker’s heir by marriage, Marei von Saher, successfully reclaimed 202 works from the Dutch state.
But Portrait of the Contessa Colleoni by Ghislandi had long vanished, until now. AD’s investigation suggests the painting ended up in the hands of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and financial aide to Göring.
Kadgien escaped to Switzerland in 1945, later resettling in Brazil and Argentina, where he built a successful business career.
American interrogators once branded Kadgien a “snake of the lowest sort,” according to U.S. files reviewed by AD. One note also described him as someone who “appears to possess substantial assets, could still be of value to us.” Kadgien died in 1979.
Over the years, AD tried to reach his two daughters in Buenos Aires about their father’s activities and the missing artworks but received no answers.
The trail broke open only when one daughter listed the family home for sale through a luxury real estate agent.
“There is no reason to think this could be a copy,” said Annelies Kool and Perry Schrier of the Netherlands’ Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), who reviewed the estate photos for AD.
The paper also reported that another missing piece, a floral still-life by 17th-century Dutch artist Abraham Mignon, was seen on one of the daughters’ social media accounts.
Attempts to question the sisters again proved unsuccessful. One responded to AD, “I don’t know what information you want from me and I don’t know what painting you are talking about.”
Lawyers representing Goudstikker’s estate vowed to pursue the matter.
“My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection, and to restore his legacy,” von Saher said.