A
n investigation by Dutch journalists has led to a tantalizing breakthrough in the recovery of a painting looted from a Jewish art dealer 85 years ago. The Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi's "Portrait of a Lady" was glimpsed in a real estate ad for a luxury property in Argentina, but it promptly disappeared after being spotted.

    Interpol and Argentine police have joined the search, racing against time to prevent the painting from vanishing again. Their focus is on the seller of the luxury property: the daughter of Friedrich Kadgien, a high-ranking Nazi who took refuge in Argentina after World War II. Kadgien's two daughters still live there.

    The discovery has injected new energy into the field of looted-art restitution, which has slowed over time and often involves slow-moving legal battles. "Portrait of a Lady" was one of nearly 1,000 works bought by prominent Nazis in a forced sale after the owner, Jewish collector Jacques Goudstikker, died at sea in an accident while fleeing the Netherlands.

    Goudstikker's collection was partially recovered and displayed in Amsterdam's Rijkmuseum after the war. In 2006, more than 200 works were restituted to his daughter-in-law Marei von Saher, a major act of restitution since the Holocaust. However, the Ghislandi portrait remained missing.

    A Dutch journalist, Cyril Rosman, began searching for the painting 10 years ago after receiving a tip from a retiree whose father had worked at the National Diamond Bureau in Amsterdam during the war. The investigation led to Kadgien's daughters, and a break came when one of them put their family home up for sale.

    The painting was spotted on a real estate website, and art historians confirmed it was likely the original. However, after reporters contacted Kadgien's daughter, she became evasive, and the real estate ad was pulled from the site. The investigation continues with Interpol and Argentine police involved.