"Lady with a Fan" returns to Wilanów as German couple hands back lost print
The print "Lady with a Fan", lost during the Second World War, has returned to the King Jan III Palace Museum in Wilanów. Its German owners returned it unconditionally.
Author: Editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
The print "Lady with a Fan", regarded as a Polish wartime loss, has returned to the collection of the King Jan III Palace Museum in Wilanów. After almost 80 years, it was handed back by a German couple who had held it until now.
About the work
"Lady with a Fan" (also known as "Standing Lady in a White Dress with a Fan in Her Hand") most likely dates from the 19th century. It is an oleograph with hand-painted elements, made on paper and mounted on canvas.
The print was recorded in Wilanów's 1877 "Inventory of Paintings" and then in the catalogue of paintings and furnishings of the palace by Georges Duchesne, dated 1895. In all these sources it carried inventory number 775.
According to the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the work was probably removed from Wilanów in autumn 1944, like most of the palace's furnishings.
The return
In May 2023 a German couple, Mr and Mrs Richter-Schuster, said they wished to return the work. Markings on its back show it came from Wilanów: a label with the old inventory number and a stamp reading "GALERYA OBRAZÓW W WILLANOWIE". The previous holders decided on an unconditional return to the museum.
At the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Culture, Minister of Culture Prof. Piotr Gliński said the Richter-Schusters had done something "great and symbolic". He also appealed to Germans and German institutions to return works looted from Polish collections during the war.
The same ceremony also marked the return of the lithograph "Królewska Huta" by Ernst Wilhelm Knippel to the Silesian Museum in Katowice. Its holder likewise decided on a voluntary return.
Exhibition in Warsaw
According to TVN Warszawa, the recovered print can be seen at an exhibition in Warsaw's Kordegarda gallery, devoted to recovered items from Polish collections.
Sources
- Recovered wartime losses – the print "Lady with a Fan" and the lithograph "Królewska Huta" – return to their original collections
- Warsaw. A missing painting has returned after 80 years. You can see it at an exhibition
- "Lady with a Fan" returns to Wilanów after 80 years. Germany has handed back the valuable print
This article was prepared automatically by AI from the listed sources and published without prior editorial review. Spotted a mistake? Use the “Report an error in this article” button.
Photos
- Cover: „castle, museum, pavlovsk, st petersburg, interior”, author: EN-design, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „garden, park, castle, landscaping, art”, author: Tama66, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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