Another piece of Nazi-looted art found in possession of Dutch SS officer's descendant

A painting looted by the Nazis during the Second World War is in the possession of the heirs of Dutch SS General Hendrik Seyffardt, the Telegraaf and art detective Arthur Brand discovered.

The painting involved is Portrait of a Young Girl by Dutch painter Toon Kelder (1894-1973). The artwork once belonged to the collection of Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker from Amsterdam. Goudstikker’s collection was plundered during the war and ended up with Nazi leader Hermann Göring, among others.

Portrait of a Young Girl is one of the paintings looted from Goudstikker. Its whereabouts have been unknown until now. According to Brand and the Telegraaf, the painting eventually ended up with SS General Seyffardt, who was assassinated by members of the resistance in The Hague in 1943.

According to Brand, Seyffardt’s family keeps his history a closely guarded secret. The painting has been confirmed as Nazi-looted art, but legal action to retrieve it is complicated, the art detective said. “Unfortunately, in the Netherlands, the police are not allowed, due to the statute of limitations, to confiscate the painting,” Brand said on X.

The current owner of Portrait of a Young Girl confirmed possession of the painting, but told the Telegraaf that she did not know it was looted art. She said she was considering returning it to Goudstikker’s surviving loved ones.

This is not the first painting from Goudstikker’s collection found in the home of a Nazi descendant. Last year, AD and researcher Paul Post found another painting, Portrait of a Lady by the Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi, hanging in the living room of the daughter of a high-ranking Nazi official. They spotted the painting in a real estate listing for her home in Argentina. The Argentine police raided the home, and the family eventually surrendered the painting.