Claimant's grandfather fled Berlin in April 1933, leaving his art collection behind. The collection was taken into custody by the Dresdner Bank and subsequently sold by the Tax Office of Berlin-Moabit at the Berlin auction house Hans W. Lange on September 25, 1941. The painting was sold to Jakob Koerfer of Berlin, who gave it to his wife in Bolligen bei Bern, Switzerland, who died in 1944. After her death, the ownership fell to her children Patrik, Marlies-Helene and Thomas.
