A 17th-century painting by Barend Graat, known as De Vaandelblader, is at the center of a restitution case involving the Schülein family. The family sold the painting in 1941 for 24,000 guilders to Hans Posse, an art historian who acquired works for Adolf Hitler’s planned museum in Linz. The painting later became part of the Nazi collection and has been held for decades in the Rijksdepot in Amersfoort. The family says the sale helped enable members to go into hiding, and writer Diederik Oostdijk has described such sales as “survival art.”

The Restitutions Committee is investigating the family’s request to recover the painting. Its president, Toon van Mierlo, said the committee would examine the circumstances of the sale, including whether it was directly connected to persecution by the Nazi regime. The case is still under investigation, and historical research by NIOD is examining the family’s history and the provenance of the painting.