On February 4, 1997 the painting "Lady Louisa Hervey mit Taube im Arm" (Lady Louisa Hervey with Dove in the Arm) by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein was handed over by Sotheby's, New York, to a representative of the "Kunstsammlungen zu Weimar" (Art Collection Weimar). A long debate of the paintings further whereabouts found thus a happy ending.
The Tischbein is registered at the Art Collection Weimar since 1837. During the war it was deposited at castle Schwarzburg (Thuringia), where it was stolen in June/July 1945 by an American soldier. The loss was reported in "Verlorene Werke der Malerei" (Lost Works of Art), a catalogue of German war losses which appeared in 1965.
The details of the sales of the painting during the last decades are now known. In January 1964 a collector in New York bought it from an American private gallery for the price of 1,700 $. In January 1965 the painting was sold to an art dealer in Munich for 3,000 $. This dealer sold the painting to another dealer. He asked the general director of the "Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen" (Bavarian State Collection of Paintings) for an expert report, who drew the attention to the Weimar loss. Nevertheless the painting was sold again for 28,000 DM. The new owner offered the painting to the Art Collection of Weimar for exchange or purchase. The Weimar director, Walther Scheidig, requested the owner and the Munich art dealer to undo the sale, which happened in December 1965/January 1966. The painting returned to the American collector in New York and to the private gallery who possessed the painting first. In February 1966 the magazine "Weltkunst" (World Art) was warning not to buy the painting.
Nothing happened until November 1995. The painting then appeared at Sotheby's in New York. Sotheby's informed the Art Collection in Weimar, which confirmed the loss. During the whole of 1996 various models for possible restitution were discussed. It was planned to have the painting handed over to a non-profit-organization by the owner, who should get a certificate of donation in return. The American Council for Germany was ready to negotiate. The German Embassy was asked for help. But the owner of the painting, although knowing that she was in possession of a stolen work of art, refused all offers.
It was only at the end of 1996 that finally the art collector agreed to give the painting back to the first owner in the United States, who was willing to negotiate and did not want to have anything to do with stolen art. An expense allowance was paid and generously sponsored by the Dresdner Bank. So it has been possible to return the picture to its real owner - the Art Collection in Weimar. Besides the Dresdner Bank we would like to express our special thanks to Willi Korte, Andrews & Kurth L.L.P., Christoph van Berg, Prince Michael zu Sachsen-Weimar und Eisenach, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the General Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York.
The Art Collection in Weimar hopes to get knowledge of the whereabouts of ten more paintings which were at the depository in castle Schwarzburg and were stolen by American soldiers. Among them were paintings by Dürer, Caspar David Friedrich and Cranach the Elder. Two of them, portraits by Dürer, came back from the U.S. to Weimar after a trial in 1982. The rest is still missing.
Thomas Föhl, Deputy Director, Art Collection Weimar
