Historisches Museum gibt Bild zurück
The German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin has restituted a 19th-century portrait of historian Leopold von Ranke to the von der Schulenburg family. The painting by Adolf Jebens, dated 1876, was seized in 1945 during a land reform in the Soviet Occupation Zone from the family's Schloss Lodersleben estate. The museum's director, Raphael Gross, confirmed the return after provenance research identified the work's history.
This restitution is part of a broader, systematic effort by German museums to investigate the ownership histories of objects acquired during the Soviet Occupation Zone and GDR periods, specifically checking for confiscations. The case highlights the ongoing work of provenance research, which also addresses art looted from Jewish owners during the Nazi era, underscoring museums' ethical responsibilities in resolving historical injustices.