Deutsches Historisches Museum returns 1876 portrait seized in 1945 to von der Schulenburg family

The Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin has restituted an 1876 oil portrait of historian Leopold von Ranke, painted by Adolf Jebens, to the von der Schulenburg family. The artwork was confiscated in 1945 during Soviet occupation zone expropriations, originating from Schloss Lodersleben in Querfurt, Saxony-Anhalt. A small note on the painting's reverse provided crucial provenance evidence. Previously held in the GDR's national history museum, the Museum für Deutsche Geschichte, the return underscores systematic efforts to examine ownership histories from the Soviet occupation and DDR periods. Museum director Raphael Gross emphasized the institution's commitment to investigating acquisitions for potential expropriations. German museums increasingly conduct provenance research, including cases of Nazi-looted art from Jewish owners, aiming for rightful restitution to heirs.