On January 31, 2022, the National Museum in Wrocław presented a painting “Lamentation of Christ” of the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Piotr Gliński, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, said that the picture returned to Poland thanks to the efforts of the Department of Restitution of Cultural Goods and the employees of the National Museum in Wrocław.

The head of the Ministry of Culture emphasized that Poland successfully recouped a beautiful and valuable painting from the workshop of one of the most eminent representatives of the German Renaissance.

Gliński recalled that according to the law, war losses are all works of art that were located in Poland before 1945. This also applies to post-German collections, which were located, for example, in Wrocław. “Lamentation of Christ” is such a work that had been in the German Wrocław before WW2.

The painting was identified by Prof. Piotr Oszczanowski and his associates from the National Museum in Wrocław.

It was found in one of the Swedish collections and after receiving a request to initiate legal action, Poland began the restitution process.

Adrian Andrzejewski