A painting which had been missing for decades after being stolen by the Nazis has disappeared again days after it was thought to have been found.
The portrait of Contessa Colleoni by Italian artist Giuseppe Ghislandi is on a database of artwork lost during World War II after being stolen by Nazi Germany.
It was among more than 1,000 works of art stolen from Amsterdam-based art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, who died in 1940 in an accident at sea while trying to escape the Netherlands.
Documents suggested the portrait of Contessa Colleoni may have ended up in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, a senior official in Adolf Hitler’s government who moved to Argentina after the war and died in 1979.
Authorities came close to recovering the 17th-century masterpiece after spotting it hanging on the wall in the background of an estate agent’s photographs of a house for sale in Argentina’s coastal city of Mar del Plata.
The property is thought to belong to one of Kadgien’s two daughters, and Argentinian police raided the home on Tuesday in an attempt to recover the stolen painting.
But the painting has now gone missing again, with investigators unable to find it inside the home.
Argentina federal prosecutor Carlos Martinez said: ‘We had indications that the painting might be in this residence.
‘The painting wasn’t in the house, but we seized some documents related to engravings and drawings that might provide context.
‘At the moment, we have two individuals under investigation – owners of the property linked to possession of the painting.’
Mr Martinez added that two weapons, a carbine and a .22 revolver, were confiscated during the search, but that these were not believed to be connected to the case.
When asked what sort of crimes the two individuals could be charged with, he explained: ‘Initially, according to customs complaints, there could be some kind of concealment of smuggling here, which would be linked to crimes of genocide that occurred during the context of World War II, where these paintings and other documents were stolen or taken from their rightful owner.’
Lawyers for Mr Goudstikker’s estate have said they will make every effort to reclaim the painting.
His sole-surviving heir, daughter-in-law Marei von Saher, told the BBC: ‘My family aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques’ collection, and to restore his legacy.’
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