The baroque painting “Madonna and Child” stolen by the Germans returned to Poland. The painting was found in… Tokyo.

The recovered work is already in Poland. For the first time since the work was brought from Japan, it was presented to the public at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. During the ceremony, the painting was handed over to the collection of the Museum of the Princes Lubomirski.

“Madonna with Child” was created at the end of the 16th or at the beginning of the 17th century. Its authorship is attributed to the Italian Baroque artist Alessandro Turchi (1578-1649). The first known document confirming the presence of this work in Polish collections is the “List of Oil Paintings, Engravings, Medallions and Weapons in the Palace of Henryk Lubomirski in Przeworsk” from 1823. It mentions the previous owner of the painting, Stanisław Kostka Potocki.

Most likely, he purchased it during one of his numerous trips to Italy in 1772-1797.

In 1940, Kajetan Mühlmann, an Austrian art historian and Nazi functionary, compiled a famous catalog containing 521 of the most valuable works of art looted from Polish collections. “Madonna with Child” was listed in the catalog at position 145. The canvas from Przeworsk was transported to Germany, where it was lost. In Poland, they were considered a war loss.

The trace of the painting was found only in January 2023, when it appeared at a Japanese art auction. After getting acquainted with the history and fate of “Madonna and Child” Mainichi Auction Inc. (a Japanese auction house), in consultation with the owner of the painting, decided to return it to the Polish side at no cost.

This is the first such case in the history of the restitution of works of art from Polish collections lost during World War II. They have never returned to the country all the way from the Far East before.

The More than Poland Foundation actively seeks and finds valuable monuments and lost works of art all over the wold, constantly promoting Polish culture and art, which is part of the European cultural heritage.

We cordially invite you to cooperation. Even the smallest amount can help save the lost fragments of our past from oblivion …

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