Painting stolen by the Nazis surfaces in the Netherlands thanks to a man who was unaware he was a descendant of an SS general

"A painting by the artist Toon Kelder (Rotterdam, 1894-1973), titled Portrait of a Young Woman, stolen by the Nazis from the renowned art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, has surfaced at the home of the granddaughter of Hendrik Alexander Seyffardt, a Dutch general who commanded the Netherlands Volunteer Legion during World War II, a Waffen-SS unit that fought on the Eastern Front."

"In 1943, Hendrik Alexander Seyffardt was shot in his home in Scheveningen the coastal district of The Hague by two well-known resistance fighters, Gerrit Kastein and Jan Verleun. The general died the following day, and his two assailants were arrested and later killed by the Nazis. Seyffardt had a son, Hendrik, who also collaborated with the occupiers."

"That new surname, which we are not revealing, is the one borne by the descendant who contacted me, and the painting has remained with the family since the war, Brand explains. The second blow to his informant was the discovery that the painting by Kelder belonged to the collection of Goudstikker, an expert in Old Masters and one of the most renowned art dealers of his time in Amsterdam."

"His collection was looted and remains one of the most significant claims of art stolen by the Nazis. Hermann Goring, commander-in-chief of the German air force, acquired the entire collection in a forced purchase. That painti"

A painting titled Portrait of a Young Woman by Toon Kelder surfaced at the home of a granddaughter of Dutch general Hendrik Alexander Seyffardt. Seyffardt commanded the Netherlands Volunteer Legion, a Waffen-SS unit that fought on the Eastern Front. A descendant, unaware of the family’s Nazi collaboration ties, publicly revealed the painting’s existence through Arthur Brand. Seyffardt was shot in 1943 by resistance fighters Gerrit Kastein and Jan Verleun and died the next day. His son Hendrik also collaborated with the occupiers, and the family later changed surnames and avoided discussing the past. The painting belonged to art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, whose collection was looted by the Nazis and acquired by Hermann Göring through a forced purchase.

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