Finally back in Wrocław is the painting St. Ivo Supports the Poor by Jacob Jordaens – a pillar of the Golden Age of Flemish painting alongside Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Lost during the war, the painting has returned to Poland after six years of efforts by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ceremonial handing over of the painting took place on 13 February 2015 at the National Museum in Wrocław, with the heads of both ministries – Małgorzata Omilanowska and Grzegorz Schetyna – in attendance.

“The Painting has returned to Poland after more than 70 years. This is one of the most valuable works of art recovered in recent years. It is a stunning showcase of artistic virtuosity. What makes it interesting is that it is a sketch produced by the artist to entice the patron to commission a large scale final version. This painting allows us to study the handiwork of this great Flemish master; we see in it the extraordinary talent possessed by Jordaens,” announced Minister Omilanowska.

Painted in oil on an oak board, the composition depicts St. Ivo – a judge in Rennes and Tréguier, a parish priest in Louannec (1253-1303) and a great defender of the downtrodden – surrounded by the poor in an interior setting.

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the painting resided in the collection of the Wrocław Museum of Fine Arts. In 1942, it was evacuated to a depository in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki and went missing soon thereafter. Only in 2008 did the painting resurface – in an auction at Sotheby’s London. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage filed a restitution claim and the painting was subsequently withdrawn from auction. The painting’s provenance was indisputably confirmed upon analysis by Polish experts, during which infrared examination of the reverse revealed otherwise invisible markings indicating its Wrocław ownership.