Report of the Spoliation Advisory Panel in respect of pieces of porcelain now in the possession of the British Museum, London and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

House of Commons papers 2007-08 602

Author:

Hirst David Sir chairman

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

This report deals with a claim by Mrs Bertha L. Gutmann of Caldwell, New Jersey, the niece and sole heir of Heinrich Rothberger concerning two pieces of porcelain which, it was asserted, were seized from him in Vienna in 1938 by the Gestapo. The pieces now reside in the British Museum, London and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Having examined evidence provided by the claimant and the Museums, the Panel concludes that the pieces were obtained legally by the museums. The Panel then has to give due weight to the moral strength of the claimant's case. It concludes that in both cases the claimant has a strong moral right to the items. Restitution of the British Museum piece is debarred by section 5 of the British Museum Act 1963, so the Panel recommends, as agreed by the parties, that the government makes an ex gratia payment of £18,000 and that the British Museum acknowledges the history of the piece whenever it is published or exhibited. The Panel recommends that the Fitzwilliam piece should be returned to the claimant.

Extent	[2], 10p.	ISBN	9780102955408
Size	N/A	Price	£6.25
Format	Paperback	Published	11 Jun 2008
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