Return looted Rubens? Nyet!

A bitter Russo-German dispute over the ownership of a looted Rubens masterpiece has escalated dramatically after the Russian authorities ruled it should not be returned to Germany.

The painting, Peter Paul Rubens' Tarquin and Lucretia, was "appropriated" from Germany at the end of World War II by a Red Army soldier and is worth an estimated £50m.

Its owners have included Frederick the Great, Joseph Goebbels' lover, a Red Army soldier and finally, and most controversially, Moscow real estate tycoon Vladimir Logvinenko.

From the BBC, where it is stated that the painting is likely to end up in the Hermitage -- which will certainly do nothing good for the museum's international standing. Previous post here.

Posted by David on March 30, 2004 12:42 PM