The Munich City Museum is restituting a late medieval apostle figure to the heirs of the Munich antiquarian Jacques Rosenthal (1854 – 1937). Joint research with the Central Institute for Art History revealed that the figure had been confiscated from the Jewish antiquarian as a result of persecution. In 1938 it was offered at auction by Adolf Weinmüller in Munich, where it was acquired by the Stadtmuseum.
The Rosenthal family came from the Unterallgäu, where the father already ran an art and antiques shop, which was expanded after the move to Munich. After an international education, Jacques Rosenthal opened his own book and antiques shop. His clientele included collectors, dealers and librarians as well as King Ludwig II; the commercial success is reflected in the construction of a prestigious residential and commercial building on Brienner Strasse.
Through the mediation of the Holocaust Claims Processing Office (HCPO) in New York, it was agreed with the descendants of the Rosenthal family that the figurine could be restituted and then bought back, a “fair and just solution” within the meaning of the “Washington Declaration” of 1989 is achieved. The repurchase is made possible by the association Friends of the Munich City Museum.