Gallery returns Nazi-confiscated medieval art

A German gallery has returned two late medieval panels to the heirs of a Jewish businessman who had his art collection seized by the Nazis, with a British Jewish charity set to benefit from any future sale.

Dating from around 1455, the two predella panels depicting the life of St Clare of Assisi were returned this week by Berlin’s Old Masters Gallery. They were produced by Italian painter Giovanni di Paolo, who illustrated Dante’s texts.

They were among the large pre-war art collection of Jewish businessman Harry Fuld Sr, founder of one of Europe’s largest telecoms companies who died in 1932.

The company and collection flowed to his wife and sons, but in 1937 all assets were expropriated by the Nazis, and his paintings seized.

The two panels were the latest in a series of Fuld Sr artworks returned by European institutions.