A painting stolen by the Nazis has been found in the home of the descendants of a Dutch SS leader.

Image source, Arthur BrandImage caption, "Portrait of a Young Girl" is believed to have been sold at auction in 1940.Artist, Henry Moore18 minutesReading time: 5 minA painting stolen from a Jewish art collector by the Nazis during World War II has been found in the home of the descendants of a notorious Dutch collaborator with the SS, according to an art detective. The "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Dutch artist Toon Kelder was reportedly hanging in the home of the family of Hendrik Seyffardt for decades, said Arthur Brand. It had belonged to the Jewish art collector Jacques Goudstikker, who died while fleeing the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, leaving behind a collection of more than 1,000 paintings. The case was brought to Brand's attention by a man who said he was a descendant of Seyffardt and was "disgusted" to discover that his family had kept the artwork for years. Seyffardt was a Dutch general who commanded a unit of Waffen-SS volunteers on the Eastern Front before being killed by members of the resistance in 1943. Shortly after learning that he was related to the Nazi collaborator, the man contacted his grandmother to ask her about the history of the painting. She reportedly told him that they had bought it during World War II and that it was "stolen Jewish art, stolen from Goudstikker. It is unsaleable. Don't tell anyone." The family, who changed their last name after the war, has admitted to being in possession of the painting, but has denied knowing its true origin, according to a statement to Dutch media. Skip More read and continue readingMore readEnd of More readAfter learning the history of the painting, the relative contacted Brand through an intermediary, convinced that the only way for it to be returned was to make the story public. The relative told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: "I feel ashamed. The painting should be returned to the heirs of Goudstikker." In a statement to the same newspaper, his grandmother said: "He gave it to me. My mother gave it to me." "Now that you mention it, I understand that the heirs of Goudstikker want to get the painting back. I didn't know." Looted and auctionedImage source, Arthur BrandImage caption, On the back of the frame of the "Portrait of a Young Girl" is a faded brown sticker that reads "Collectie Goudstikker" and is partially torn at the edges. Skip Podcast and continue readingImprobableThe new BBC Mundo podcast about a love that triumphed against all oddsEpisodesEnd of PodcastThe man who contacted Brand said that his grandmother told him that the painting was "stolen Jewish art, stolen from Goudstikker. It is unsaleable. Don't tell anyone." The family, who changed their last name after the war, has admitted to being in possession of the painting, but has denied knowing its true origin, according to a statement to Dutch media. Skip Podcast and continue readingImprobableThe new BBC Mundo podcast about a love that triumphed against all oddsEpisodesEnd of PodcastWhen informed of the existence of the painting, Brand began his own investigation. He discovered that the painting had a label on the back and the number 92 engraved on the frame. Brand then researched the archives of an auction in 1940 in which much of Goudstikker's looted collection was sold and found a work with the number 92 titled "Portrait of a Young Girl" by Toon Kelder. Brand believes that the painting was looted by the Nazis and that the family who possessed it for decades was unaware of its true origin. He said that the family had the opportunity to do the right thing and return the painting, but they chose not to. This finding is similar to a previous case in which a masterpiece Italian painting stolen from the Goudstikker collection by the Nazis appeared on the website of a real estate agency selling a house in Argentina. A photo showed the portrait of a lady, by Giuseppe Ghislandi, hanging above a sofa in the interior of a property near Buenos Aires, which was once owned by a high-ranking Nazi official who moved to South America after World War II. The discovery led to a police raid on the property, but the painting had apparently already been removed and moved when the authorities arrived. Click here to read more stories from BBC News Mundo. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.