Recovering lootDHS agents recover painting stolen by Nazis
Last week, federal DHS agents raided a museum in Tallahassee, Florida to recover a 500-year-old painting that was believed to be stolen by Nazis during the Second World War; upon receiving a tip from a foreign law enforcement source that the painting had been stolen by the Nazis, DHS agents seized the painting and will hold it until the rightful owner can be determined
500-year-old painting recovered by DHS // Source: wtsp.com
Last week, federal DHS agents raided a museum in Tallahassee, Florida to recover a 500-year-old painting that was believed to be stolen by Nazis during the Second World War.
The painting, “Christ Carrying the Cross Pulled Up by a Soldier” by Girolamo Romano, dates back to 1538 and was purchased in 1914 by Giuseppe Gentili, a Jewish man living in Italy, at an auction.
During the outbreak of the second World War, Gentili fled with his family to France and Nazis are believed to have stolen the famous painting form his apartment. The painting eventually became a part of the Brogan Museum’s collection in Milan, Italy and was most recently on loan at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science in Tallahassee.
Upon receiving a tip from a foreign law enforcement source that the painting had been stolen by the Nazis, DHS agents seized the painting and will hold it until the rightful owner can be determined.
“Typically in a seizure of an item, notices go out to parties that might have ownership equities in it,” explained Mike Kennedy, an assistant special agent with Homeland Security Investigations. “They’ll have a chance to answer that and then the courts will go through the procedure to determine who the rightful owner is.”
According to Kennedy, since 2007 the DHS cultural property crime investigations unit has successfully returned 2,500 works of art to twenty-one countries.
Meanwhile, Chuca Barber, the CEO of the Brogan Museum, was a bit disappointed to see the painting leave the museum’s collection as she had hoped it could stay on display while investigators resolved legal matters.
“It was a little disappointing to have the painting leave, but we certainly understand the need to cooperate with federal officials and do the right thing and they’re dedicated to returning the painting to its rightful owner. So that’s very comforting,” Barber said.
