(Q20539030)
Statements
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Adoration of the Magi (English)
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PROVENANCE Until 1940, Federico Gentili di Giuseppe (b. 1868 - d. 1940), Paris; April 23-24, 1941, sold under the order of a Nazi-occupied court, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, lot 24 [see note 1], along with Mr. Gentili di Giuseppe's estate [see note 2]. 1941 until 1990, private collection, France (?); June 15, 1990, anonymous sale, Christie's, Monaco, lot 26 [see note 3], to Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London; 1992, sold by Agnew to the MFA. (Accession Date: April 22, 1992) (English)
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In February 2000, the heirs of the renowned Jewish art collector Federico Gentili di Giuseppe initiated negotiations with the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston on the restitution of the painting “Adoration of the Magi”, by Corrado Giaquinto. The painting had been sold at an auction in 1941. In October 2000, the heirs reached a part purchase-part donation agreement with the MFA Boston. (English)
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In 1997, Mr. Gentili di Giuseppe's heirs brought legal action against the Musée du Louvre and the State of France to have the April 1941 sale declared null and void. On June 2, 1999, the Court of Appeals of Paris nullified the sale, determining that Mr. Gentili di Giuseppe's family had been prevented from attending to the administration of the estate. Five paintings held by the Louvre were subsequently returned to the family. By February 1999 the heirs had begun pursuing individual claims regarding the other paintings in the 1941 auction and contacted the MFA about the Adoration of the Magi at that time. Because the MFA had purchased the painting before any claims were registered with the French government, the heirs affirmed that the Museum acquired the work in good faith, without knowledge that the 1941 sale was suspect. The MFA and the heirs agreed upon a part purchase / part donation settlement, through which the painting remains in the collection of the MFA. (English)
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22 April 1992
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1992.163
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54.6 centimetre
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48.3 centimetre
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73B13
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