Mar del Plata authorities have confirmed that, following expert analysis, the mystery of the authorship of the painting 'Portrait of a Lady', stolen by the Nazis during World War II and discovered in 2025 in a house in the city, has been solved. Initially attributed to the painter Giuseppe Ghislandi, the painting was later identified as the work of another Italian artist. According to a statement from the Public Prosecutor's Office, the painting is now attributed to the Italian painter Giacomo Antonio Melchiorre Ceruti, known as 'Il Pitocchetto', and is valued at approximately 250,000 euros. Specialists from the National Academy of Fine Arts, Ángel Miguel Navarro and Alejo Gabriel Lo Russo, noted that the painting is in the style of late Baroque or early Rococo. Although its state of preservation is stable, it shows signs of breaks and three previous restorations. While the inventory records of the Goudstikker collection listed Giuseppe Ghislandi as the author, the experts determined that over time the painting was alternately attributed to both Ghislandi and Ceruti. In 1927, Roberto Longhi attributed it to Ceruti, but in 1934 it was exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam as a work by Ghislandi. The investigation, which began on August 25, 2025, following complaints from INTERPOL Argentina and the General Directorate of Customs (DNA), continues. Several search warrants were carried out to locate the painting, including at the home of the daughter of a former Nazi official. In early September, the lawyer representing the suspects handed over the painting to the prosecutor's office. In mid-September of last year, Prosecutor Martínez charged the woman and her partner with aggravated concealment.
