The painting La Ronde Enfantine PD.28-1951, a work by Gustave Courbet dating to around 1862, has been on public display in The Fitzwilliam Museum more or less consistently since it was donated by Reverend Eric Milner-White (1884-1963) in 1951. It has also been published in several books and lent to exhibitions in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, the United States and Japan.
The Fitzwilliam Museum has recently been made aware of new evidence relating to the provenance of the painting, in particular that it may have been seized in Paris by Nazi agents during the Second World War. This evidence has been referred to the Spoliation Advisory Panel, convened by the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, for recommendations.
The Museum welcomes any information on the location and ownership of the painting between 1908 and 5 May 1941. If you are aware of any information, please contact Neal Spencer, Deputy Director (Collections & Research) at nas1003@cam.ac.uk by Sunday 5th June 2022.
Update 28 March 2023
The Spoliation Advisory Panel convened by the Secretary of State DCMS recommends that 'La Ronde Enfantine' by Gustave Courbet currently in the possession and legal ownership of the Fitzwilliam Museum be restituted to the Mondex Corporation representing and on behalf of the heirs of Robert Bing.
This recommendation implies no criticism of the Museum or the original donor,The Very Reverend Eric Milner-White,who have acted honourably and in accordance with the standards prevailing at the time of acquisition and since. The Museum has cared for the work so that it can now be restored to the heirs of the original owners.
Image: La Ronde Enfantine by Gustave Courbet. The Very Rev. Eric Milner-White, C.B.E., D.S.O., Dean of York, in memory of his father, Henry Milner-White, Kt., LL.D, M.A., of Pembroke College, Cambridge.
