D
utch journalists have made a breakthrough in the search for a painting looted from a Jewish art dealer 85 years ago, but it remains elusive. The Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi's "Portrait of a Lady" was spotted in a real estate ad for a luxury property in Argentina, only to vanish again.

    The investigation has gained momentum with Interpol and Argentine police joining the search. They are focusing on the seller, the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a high-ranking Nazi who fled Germany after World War II. Kadgien's family has been linked to the looting of Jewish art during the war.

    The painting was one of nearly 1,000 works bought by prominent Nazis in 1940 from Jacques Goudstikker, a Jewish collector who died at sea while fleeing the Netherlands. After the war, parts of his collection were restituted to his daughter-in-law, Marei von Saher, but "Portrait of a Lady" was not among them.

    The discovery has injected new energy into the field of looted-art restitution, which often involves slow-moving legal battles over ownership. The Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency and art historians have confirmed that the painting seen in the real estate ad is likely the original work.

    A reporter's 10-year search for the painting began with a tip from a retiree whose father had worked at the National Diamond Bureau in Amsterdam during the war. The investigation has uncovered a trail of looted diamonds and artworks linked to Kadgien, who fled Germany with some diamonds and two paintings.

    The daughter of Kadgien was contacted by reporters after the painting was spotted, but she denied any knowledge of it and then went silent. The real estate ad was pulled from the site, and her social media profile has been updated.

    Heir Marei von Saher has expressed her family's goal to recover every artwork stolen from the Goudstikker collection. With Interpol and Argentine police on their side, they are now one step closer to recovering "Portrait of a Lady."