•  Silk tapestry, Persia, 16 th century

275 x 212 cm.

The tapestry was purchased in the late 19 th century probably in Cairo or Istanbul by General Ludwik Bystrzonowski. It was later acquired for the collection of Prince Władysław Czartoryski. In 1931, Prince Adam Ludwik Czartoryski donated the tapestry to the Czartoryski Museum in Cracow. In 1940 it was moved to Warsaw for safekeeping, which did not prevent its robbery and removal to Germany

After the occupation, the tapestry was not recovered during a search of the German occupation zones. Today, it is known that it was purchased in 1970 at an auction in London by an art dealer and a year later was offered by his daughter to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. After the purchase, the Museum subjected the tapestry to conservation work, but it was put on exhibit only twice: in the early seventies and early eighties.

The Polish side did not learn of the whereabouts of the tapestry until early 2001. In late 2001, the Czartoryski Foundation, acting in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued an official restitution request, submitted by the Polish Consul General in Los Angeles. The application was backed by evidence supporting our claim. The American museum launched its own provenance research, which confirmed the tapestry's true origin and led to its return.

On 6 th May 2002, Museum Director Dr Andrea Rich handed over the tapestry to the Polish Consul General in Los Angeles. The tapestry was conveyed to the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow on May 10, 2003 by Minister of Foreign Affairs Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz.