From the provenance research into the period 1933-1945, indications have emerged that suggest possible involuntary loss of ownership.
The provenance of this painting is unclear. It is unknown how, when and under what circumstances Kunsthandel Hevesy in Paris (or possibly Vienna) acquired this painting. It is unknown how Kunsthandel Schmidt and subsequently Galerie Voltaire obtained the work. During the war, Galerie Voltaire sold the painting to Josef Mühlmann of the Dienststelle Mühlmann in The Hague. The Dienststelle Mühlmann then sold the work to Hermann Göring, who later used it in 1944 in an exchange transaction with Alois Miedl (Kunsthandel Goudstikker-Miedl) via Hofer. The painting was then stored by Miedl in Bad Tölz. The Dienststelle Mühlmann is known to have made large-scale purchases of looted Jewish property during the occupation years, including through the Liro Bank and from Jewish art dealers who had been placed under administration or expropriated. Although it cannot be established with certainty that this specific object originated from Jewish property, the known practices of the dealers and institutions involved give reason to assume that the work may have been lost involuntarily.
