A
painting stolen by the Nazis during World War II has been spotted in a real estate photo, over 80 years after its disappearance. The 18th-century "Portrait of a Lady" (Contessa Colleoni) by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi was taken from Dutch-Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker in 1940. It was never recovered, despite efforts to track down other missing pieces from his collection.

    The painting has now been identified in a photo for a real estate listing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it appears to be hanging above a sofa in the living room of a coastal home. This discovery is the result of nearly ten years of work by investigative journalists at Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD).

    The painting was among 1,100 pieces taken from Goudstikker after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands and is officially recorded as "unreturned" since World War II. AD reporters had long suspected that the painting was connected to Friedrich Kadgien, a former SS officer who fled to Switzerland in 1945 before settling in Argentina.

    When journalist Cyril Rosman searched the online listing for the property, he found a photo showing the lost painting. Marei von Saher, Goudstikker's sole heir, plans to reclaim the painting and restore her family's legacy. One of Kadgien's daughters denied owning the stolen painting when contacted by AD.

    This discovery comes after another long-lost artwork was uncovered in a social media photo just months ago.