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‘The Penitent Magdalene’ Returns to Heirs after Being Looted by Nazis

Employees of Christie's auctions speak to people on the phones in New York City, US, October 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Employees of Christie's auctions speak to people on the phones in New York City, US, October 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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‘The Penitent Magdalene’ Returns to Heirs after Being Looted by Nazis

Employees of Christie's auctions speak to people on the phones in New York City, US, October 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Employees of Christie's auctions speak to people on the phones in New York City, US, October 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

A Paris court ordered Christie's auction house to return a painting stolen by the Nazis to the heirs of its owner, a cousin of writer Marcel Proust.

Occupying Nazi forces seized "The Penitent Magdalene" by Dutch artist Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722) from Lionel Hauser, according to Agence France Press (AFP).

Hauser, a relative of Proust who came from a French Jewish family, fled to the south of France after German forces invaded. The painting's whereabouts were largely unknown until 2017, until its owner asked the London-based auction house to sell it. Christie's had previously sold the same work in 2005 for 60,000 pounds ($74,000 at current exchange rates).

This time, Christie's researched the painting's provenance and discovered that it had been part of Hauser's collection -- and was also listed on a record of works plundered in France during the war. It contacted Hauser's heirs and proposed splitting the profits of the sale but the offer was rejected, according to French media reports. The court also ordered Christie's to pay the heirs 10,000 euros ($10,900) and reveal the identity of the painting's current owner and its current whereabouts, as well as its sales record.

The case was the latest in France aimed at restoring artworks looted by the Nazis to their rightful owners. The Nazis are estimated to have plundered some 600,000 artworks in Europe, according to a US congressional report. US and European courts have regularly heard cases opened to restore items to their original owners.

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Varieties

US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
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US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)

The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins -- a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world's only scaly mammals.

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year -- and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.

Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species -- Temminck's pangolin of Africa -- is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday's proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.

In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species -- Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine -- as well as the three other African species: white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant pangolins.

"I'm delighted the United States is doing its part to save these adorably odd creatures," said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Pangolins are on the razor's edge of extinction, and we need to completely shut down any US market for their scales. There's no good reason for anybody to ingest any part of a pangolin."

Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international trade for commercial purposes and allows it only under exceptional circumstances.

Still, the illegal trade persists.

In April, Nigerian authorities seized nearly four tons of trafficked pangolin scales, representing the slaughter of some 2,000 animals. In November 2024, Indonesian officials intercepted another 1.2 tons.

US demand remains a factor. Between 2016 and 2020, border officials intercepted 76 shipments of pangolin parts, including scales and products marketed for traditional medicine, according to public data.