Nazi Loot Found
Adolf Hitler may have been a mediocre artist, but he certainly had a vulture's eye for art treasures. Before he topped himself, the Führer had looted a hoard big enough to put the Vatican to shame. This gem is a fine example. Saint Justa by Bartolome Esteban Murillo is one of a pair stolen by the Nazis from the Rothschilds in Paris in 1941. Murillo's Saint Rufina makes the pair. Somehow these two paintings ended up in the Southern Methodist University Museum in the USA. Recent inspection found that one of the pair still bore the Nazi ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg) code on the stretcher, proving Rothschild ownership. The Nazi mark seems to have been removed from the other painting. The collector who acquired these treasures for the Methodists obviously didn't give a fig for provenance. Their current value is estimated at more than $10 million.
posted by Unknown @ 25.10.09
6 comments
6 Comments:
a fine painter, Murillo
Hi, Lennard
Yes. Excellent. One of my favourites is his "The Flower Girl" in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. Another is "Two Peasant Boys". I've used the face of one the boys on my Coxsoft Art home page, beside What's New?
what's new - since Morillo?..quite a bit, I suppose but like most things it depends very much on your tastes :-)
True. I used the boy's face because it was so enthusiastic, like he's just found something new he really likes. In the painting it's a plate of food!
Here’s an amazing video with Doris Kearns Goodwin discussing The Monuments Men, a new book about a small group of unknown heroes, men and women, who volunteered to save the cultural treasures of western civilization from the Nazi’s during WWII. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/33411966#33411966
Among these unique and untold stories, is the story of the greatest heroine of the group -- Rose Valland. This brave woman secretly recorded the movements of stolen art and cultural objects by the Nazi’s, which was instrumental in the eventual recovery of these great treasures. Book Page writes, “an account that moves like a Hollywood action adventure…there are heroes to root for, villains to hiss at and an increasingly pressing race against time…Whether you’re a fan of art, military history or stories of real-life heroes, The Monuments Men is a treasure worth the hunt”. As we approach Veteran’s Day (November 11, a Wednesday), I hope your blog will profile these great heroes of civilization and share their story with your readers and supporters.
Thank You,
Robert M. Edsel
www.monumentsmen.com
Hi, Wes
Thank you very much for your comment and for the information.
I recently published a post SOE Memorial about another wartime heroine:
http://coxsoft.blogspot.com/2009/10/soe-memorial.html
They're not forgotten.
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