Metz Cathedral Treasures, consisting of 27 items, were delivered to France from the Marburg Collecting Point. Eighteen notable works of art, including four paintings by Dirk Bouts and the "Madonna and Child" by Michelangelo, removed by the Germans from Bruges, were delivered to the Beigian Government during this month, and twenty-six selected paintings were sent to Holland. Routine restitution of cultural objects from the U.S. Zone began in October when large shipments were returned to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Included in shipments to the Netherlands have been the Rennaissance and Baroque jewels from the Mannheimer Collection, with Catherine the Great's jewelled mirror outstanding among them; paintings by such Dutch 17th century artists as Jan Steen, Van de Velde and Paul Potter; and much excellent Meissen porcelain.

Shipments to France included two of Goering's most carefully negotiated acquisitions. They were the wooden statue of St. Mary Magdalen, known as "La Belle Allemande," by Gregor Erhart, and the painting of the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple", by the Master of the Holy Family. Goering, after long manoeuvering, obtained these two works of art from the Louvre in Paris, giving in exchange two sculptures and three paintings from his own collection, some of them of doubtful origin. Other works of art returned to Paris were

Vermeer's Painting, "The Astronomer", and paintings by Renoir, Chardin, Fragonard and other French artists. In a shipment of 21 carloads of objects, 864 cases of objects such as paintings, sculptures, furniture, rugs, porcelains, draperies and jewelry, taken primarily by the official German looting organization, Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, from private collections in occupied territories, were returned to the French, Government for processing through the Museum of the Jeu de Paume in Paris, in late October.

In June of 1946, an exhibition was held in Paris, France, at the Orangerie Museum, showing approximately 300 items, including paintings, drawings, china, silver, tapestries, furniture and sculpture. Paintings included such masters as Rembrandt, Goya, Memling, Velasquez, Rubens, Breugel and Vermeer. This exhibition of works of art "back home" was enthusiastically received by the French people.

Return of Crown Jewels

The most outstanding objects to cross an international frontier were the Crown Jewels and Coronation Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire, which were returned from their hiding place in Nuremberg to the custody of United States Forces in Austria. Here they were formally handed over to the Austrian Government.