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Holocaust Provenance

Research on World War II History of Ownership

Adolf Hitler’s ruthless ambition for German political control of Europe was matched by his calculated campaign to control its cultural assets, including works of art. Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazis confiscated the holdings of many governments and individuals that they had subjugated. Hitler and his top advisors admired traditional European art and planned a new museum in Linz, Austria, that would display the finest examples from confiscated collections. Hitler’s Reich Marshall Hermann Goering was also building a lavish private collection.

Because they considered it damaging to German ideals, the Nazis despised modern art. They labeled Impressionist and Expressionist works “degenerate” and confiscated them from national museums, publicly burning some of these works but exchanging most of them with dealer-collaborators for desirable examples of Old Master painting.

In the decades following World War II, many American museums unknowingly received confiscated works of art. In 1997 the Seattle Art Museum discovered that one of its works had such a history, which was confirmed by research in the United States and France. In 1999 SAM returned the painting, Odalisque, by Henri Matisse, to the heirs of Paul Rosenberg, a French art dealer whose collection was confiscated by the Nazis in 1941.

Many American museums are now making concentrated efforts to clarify gaps in their provenance (history of ownership) records from the World War II era to enable the rightful owners or their descendants to identify lost works from their collections. Declassification of documents has aided new research and brought much new evidence and information to light. Still, because many records were lost or destroyed, gaps in provenance information are not unusual.

The Seattle Art Museum has a relatively small collection of European art, and research into the histories of these works is an ongoing process. The list below includes works of art that have gaps in their provenance, have unclear dates of transfer between owners, or were in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945). Their presence on this list does not mean that we suspect that the Nazis were involved in their history. These are areas where we are conducting further research to clarify the history of ownership.

This list is a work in progress. As provenance research is an integral part of the museum’s work, our researchers will continue investigating the histories of these objects, and we will be posting new information as it comes to light. If you have any questions or information about the works of art in the Seattle Art Museum’s collection, please feel free to contact us at research@seattleartmuseum.org. We hope that by publicly posting the history of these works of art we may assist the efforts worldwide to identify works looted during World War II and return them to the families of their rightful owners.

For more information on provenance research in American museums see the American Association of Museums guidelines for Nazi-era provenance.

  1. Woman and Girl (Frau und Mädchen), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Germany, 1880 - 1938 
  2. Triton and Seahorse, A Bozzetto, Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (Adam the elder), French, 1700-1759 
  3. Abraham Sacrificing Isaac, Alessandro Algardi, Italian, 1598-1654 
  4. Mercury and Argus, Jacopo Amigoni, Italian, Venice, ca. 1685 - 1752 
  5. Madame Brion, Seated, Taking Tea, Jacques-André-Joseph Aved, French, 1702 - 1766 
  6. Mourning Virgin Mary, Giovanni Bandini, Italian (Florence), 1540-1599  Baccio da Montelupo, Italian, 1469-1535? 
  7. The Adoration of the Magi, Francesco Bassano, Italian, 1549-1592 
  8. Banquet Still Life, Abraham van Beyeren, Dutch, ca. 1620/21-1690 
  9. Cupid,
  10. Portrait of Paul Serusier, Pierre Bonnard, French, 1867-1947 
  11. Mme. H and Her Children, Louis André Gabriel Bouchet, French, 1759-1842 
  12. Portrait of a Young Woman, Agnolo Bronzino, Italian, 16th century 
  13. Dancing Peasants,
  14. Venus and Adonis,
  15. Bacino di San Marco, Antonio Canal (known as Canaletto), Italian, 1697-1768 
  16. Seascape with Fishing Boats, Dutch 
  17. The Doge's Palace and the Grand Canal, Venice, Luca Carlevariis, Italian, Venice, 1663-1729 
  18. A Country Gentleman, Giacomo Ceruti, Italian, Brescia, 1698-1767 
  19. Girl Holding Doves, Claude Michel (called Clodion), French, 1738-1814 
  20. Children Playing with a Goat, Claude Michel (called Clodion), French, 1738-1814 
  21. Charles d'Amboise, Bernardino de' Conti, Italian, Milan, ca. 1470 - ca. 1522 
  22. The Judgment of Paris, Lucas Cranach the Elder, German, Wittenberg, 1472 - 1553 
  23. Adoration of the Shepherds, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Italian, 1665-1747 
  24. Christ, crowned with Thorns, Hans Daucher Workshop, German 
  25. The Cascatella at Tivoli, Gaspard Dughet, Italian, 1615-1675 
  26. St. Catherine Meeting the Empress, Burgundian 
  27. The Triumph of Neptune, Luca Giordano, Italian, Naples, 1634-1705 
  28. Adoration of the Christ Child, Gherardo di Giovanni del Fora, Italian, Florence, 1445-1497 
  29. Shepherdess Adorned with Flowers, Gerrit van Honthorst, Dutch, 1590-1656 
  30. Sabine Houdon at Age Four, Jean-Antoine Houdon, French, 1741-1828 
  31. The Origin of the Cornucopia, Abraham Janssens, Flemish, Antwerp, ca. 1575-1632 
  32. Portrait of a Man, Nicholas de Largilličre, French, 1656-1746 
  33. The Adoration of the Magi, Master of the Straus Madonna, Italian, Florence, active late 13th - 14th centuries 
  34. Christ Walking on the Water, Attributed to Alessandro Magnasco, Italian, 1677-1749 
  35. Landscape with Figures, Alessandro Magnasco, Italian, 1677-1749 
  36. John the Baptist, Master of the David and St. John Statuettes, Italian 
  37. The Duet, Jan Miense Molenaer, Dutch, Haarlem, ca. 1610-1668 
  38. Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St. John, Lorenzo Monaco, Italian, Florence, ca. 1370-1425 
  39. Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Francesco de Mura, Italian, Naples, 1696-1782 
  40. Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Pieter Neeffs the Elder, Flemish, 1578-1659  Frans Francken III, Flemish, 1607-1667 
  41. Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, Jacopo Palma, Italian, 1544-1628 
  42. The Virgin Presenting the Rosary to Saint Dominic, Antonio Palomino, Spanish, 1655 - 1726 
  43. Coastal Scene, Giovanni Paolo Panini, Italian, 1692-1765 
  44. Head of Christ, Andrea Previtali, Italian, 1470-1528 
  45. Ecce Homo, Luca della Robbia, Italian, 1399-1482 
  46. Virgin and Child with Angels, Atelier of Andrea della Robbia, Italian 
  47. The Last Supper, Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1577-1640 
  48. St. Jerome, Jacopo del Sellaio, Italian, 1441/2-1493 
  49. The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, Massimiliano Soldani, Italian, Florence, 1656-1740 
  50. St. Jerome and the Lion, Spanish  
  51. Hagar and the Angel, Bernardo Strozzi, Italian, 1581-1644 
  52. The Triumph of Valor over Time, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian, 1696 - 1770 
  53. Self-portrait, Gaspare Traversi, Italian, 1732-1769 
  54. Christ, Betrayal, Utrecht Master, Dutch 
  55. Christ, Resurrection, Utrecht Master, Dutch 
  56. Boys Blowing Bubbles, Attributed to Michaelina Woutiers, Flemish, ca. 1620 - after 1682 
  57. Christ on the Road to Calvary, Flemish 
  58. Allegory, Stradanus (Jan van der Straet), Flemish, active Italy, 1523-1605 
  59. Church Interior, Emanuel de Witte, Dutch, 1617-1692 

 
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