The Guelph Treasure was sold by a consortium of art dealers, some of whose members were Jewish, in 1935. SPK has subsequently conducted thorough scholarly research into the circumstances surrounding the purchase.
The Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) has been engaged actively and responsibly since the 1990s in provenance research related to the identification and restitution of Nazi-confiscated art. As such, the Foundation has repeatedly examined the specific circumstances of the purchase of the Welfenschatz by the Prussian State in 1935.
When the restitution of the Guelph Treasure was requested in 2008, SPK once more conducted extensive scientific research regarding the historic details of the sale. In November 2010, SPK sent a detailed account of these established historical facts to the claimants of the restitution. This account was also presented to the Beratende Kommission (Advisory Commission), which recommended in 2014 against the restitution of the Guelph Treasure.
Account of the Established Historical Facts of the 1935 Sale
- Restitution Request „Guelph Treasure“ (Welfenschatz): Account of the established historical facts on the basis of the provenance research carried out by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, SPK), As of 30.11.2010, Published 06.01.2015, Updated 05.10.2015 (PDF, 301 KB, in German)
- Attachment I: List of evaluated files (PDF, 92 KB, not barrier-free, in German)
- Attachment II: Currency Chart (PDF, 4.8 MB, not barrier-free, in German)
