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Stolen Degas painting
Degas' Impressionist portrait of a laundrywoman holding her face in pain from an aching tooth was stolen in December 1973 from the Malraux Museum in Le Havre, Normandy.
The artwork, painted by Degas between 1870-72, had been on loan from the Paris government to the museum, which was destroyed in World War II, in honor of its reconstruction.
The Sothesby catalogue for the November 3, 2010 auction had estimated the painting's sale price to be between 350,000 and 450,000 dollars.
"The return of this masterpiece to the French government reflects our commitment to ensure the return of stolen artwork and cultural patrimony," said Loretta Lynch, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement.
Lynch said Sothesby's promptly cooperated with law enforcement and pulled the piece from the auction block once it learned that it had a purloined artwork in its possession.
US customs officials and authorities from INTERPOL were also involved in the recovery of the painting, officials said.
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The artwork, painted by Degas between 1870-72, had been on loan from the Paris government to the museum, which was destroyed in World War II, in honor of its reconstruction.
The Sothesby catalogue for the November 3, 2010 auction had estimated the painting's sale price to be between 350,000 and 450,000 dollars.
"The return of this masterpiece to the French government reflects our commitment to ensure the return of stolen artwork and cultural patrimony," said Loretta Lynch, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement.
Lynch said Sothesby's promptly cooperated with law enforcement and pulled the piece from the auction block once it learned that it had a purloined artwork in its possession.
US customs officials and authorities from INTERPOL were also involved in the recovery of the painting, officials said.
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