The misread name on two Louvre still lifes
An occupation-era entry pointed researchers to the wrong name and street. Reading it against a Paris address helped return two panels to the Javal heirs.
The Louvre’s provenance file dates the seizure of Floris van Schooten’s Still Life with Ham to 19 January 1944. The German record gave the name as Juralides and the address as rue Maubourg. Researchers matched the entry to the Javal family’s home at 5 boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg, near the Invalides. The family also lost a still life by Pieter Binoit.
The van Schooten reached the Allied collecting point in Munich in 1945 and was repatriated to France the following year. The two paintings were later held by the Louvre under the Musées nationaux récupération system for recovered cultural property. Investigation by the ministry, archives and museum identified the former owners. Genealogists then helped locate their heirs.
The Louvre’s collection record dates the return to 19 December 2023. The heirs donated both works on 4 June 2024 in memory of five relatives deported and murdered at Auschwitz. The two paintings entered the national collection through that gift, and an exhibition developed with the family displayed them alongside records of the persecution.
Artwork Details & DocumentationIdentification, ownership history and supporting records
Individual artwork identification details have not yet been documented in this record. Missing specifications are not inferred from the photograph or report headline.
Not documented in this record: object type · materials & technique · measurements · inscriptions & markings · distinguishing features · artwork title · maker / attribution · creation date / period · subject.
Record sources
Identification details follow the Object ID categories where documented. Ownership history is recorded separately; this documentation is not an authentication or a certificate of ownership.
Documentary sources
- Louvre collections · inventory and provenance ↗
- Louvre · restitution, donation and exhibition ↗
- Louvre collections · the second Javal still life ↗
- CIVS · restitution to the Javal family ↗
An original ArtTraceX synthesis. Sources checked .