Spanish museum returns 2 paintings looted by Nazis to Poland

MADRID (AP) — A museum in northwest Spain has returned two 15th-century paintings to Polish officials after it was determined that they were looted by the forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The paintings “Mater Dolorosa” (Mother of Sorrows) and “Ecce Homo” were handed over by the Museum of Pontevedra to a delegation from Poland’s culture ministry. They were originally attributed to Dieric Bouts, a Dutch-born Flemish master born in Haarlem, but now they are attributed to a member of his school or group. Polish officials alerted the museum of their origin in 2020. The completion of official permits for the transfer had delayed it until now.