Nazi looted art found in home of SS leader’s family

It was looted by the Nazis and sequestered for many decades in the family home of a notorious Dutch SS general.

Now, “Portrait of a Young Girl”, by the Dutch artist Toon Kelder, could soon be returned to its rightful Jewish owners after the painting’s murky secrets were uncovered by an art detective.

Arthur Brand, a Dutch private investigator, tracked down the painting to the home of the family of Hendrik Seyffardt, a Dutch general who led a Waffen SS collaborator unit.

Mr Brand says he received a tip-off about its location from a member of the Seyffardt family, who said he wanted to disclose a disturbing secret about a painting in the home.

“This was a man who discovered that his family had changed its name after World War Two, and that he was a descendant of a famous Nazi general. He almost fainted when he found out,” Mr Brand told The Telegraph.

“He then spoke to the granddaughter of that general, who was a relative of his as well, and she showed him a painting and said, this is a family secret: it was looted from the Jews and we can never sell it.”