A photo stolen by the Nazis found in the family home of a Dutch SS leader Art theft

Nazi paintings from the famous Goudstikker collection have resurfaced at the home of a prominent Dutch SS man, according to an art detective.

The portrait of the Little Girl, by Dutch artist Toon Kelder, is believed to have hung for many years in Hendrik Seyffardt’s family home, Arthur Brand said, describing it as “the most amazing of my entire career”.

The case has paralleled one that made international headlines in 2025, when an 18th-century Nazi-era painting – also from the late Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker – was stolen. displayed in the property market in Argentina.

In the Dutch case, Brand said he was approached by a man who only revealed two family secrets that disturbed the family: he was from Seyffardt and his family had exhibited art for many years.

The relative, who wished to remain anonymous, told Brand that she saw the picture hanging in Seyffardt’s granddaughter’s driveway.

Seyffardt, one of the highest-ranking Dutch Nazi sympathizers, commanded the Waffen-SS volunteer unit on the eastern front before being killed by anti-war fighters in 1943. A state funeral was held for him in The Hague, with a wreath sent by Adolf Hitler.

According to Brand, Seyffardt’s grandson initially said the painting was “Jewish art stolen from Goudstikker. Not for sale. Don’t tell anyone.”

However, the family member wanted the matter to go public and contacted Brand, who has cleared the matter high-profile cases of stolen art. The relative told De Telegraaf: “I’m ashamed. The photo must be returned to Goudstikker’s heirs.”

According to a Dutch daily, the family is discussing whether the painting should be returned to Goudstikker’s heirs, adding that they did not know it had been stolen. “I got it from my mother. Now that you’re meeting me like this, I understand that Goudstikker’s heirs want the painting back. I didn’t know that,” said a relative.

Brand began his investigation, realizing that the painting had Goudstikker’s logo on the back and “92” etched into the frame. He searched through the archives in 1940, when part of Goudstikker’s collection was sold, and found Number 92: Portrait of a Little Girl.

Nazi leader Hermann Göring stole all of Goudstikker’s collection when the art dealer fled to England in 1940. Brand speculates that Seyffardt found the painting at an auction that year and it was passed down through the generations.

Lawyers representing Goudstikker’s heirs confirmed to Brand that the paintings had been stolen and called for their return. A relative who contacted Brand also wants the painting to be handed over to Goudstikker’s heirs, but the police are powerless to do so because the theft is past the statute of limitations.

The Dutch Restitutions Committee, which advises on art stolen by the Nazis, is also nervous because it cannot force ordinary people to return art. “The brother sees public exposure as the only way to return the image to Goudstikker’s heirs, where it is appropriate,” Brand said.

The artist, known as the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, said: “I have recovered art confiscated by the Nazis during the Second World War, including pieces from the Louvre, the Dutch Royal Collection and many museums.