BERLIN.- The German state of Baden-Würtemberg will return a masterpiece over to the heirs of two Jewish art merchants, victims of the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler, informed local authorities on Monday.

The 16th century portrait of the palatine count Johann III from the studio of artist Hans Wertinger will be returned to the heirs of Isaac Rosenbaum and Saemy Rosenberg, indicated the Ministry of Art of Baden-Württemberg.

The portrait’s return takes place after the Staatsgalerie of Stuttgart had made an investigation about the portrait’s origins after a lawsuit by the heirs in 2008.

“We have fulfilled our historic responsibility by investigating and returning the artistic goods that were confiscated by those persecuted by the Nazi regime”, affirmed the Secretary of the Ministry of Art, Jürgen Walter.

The investigation established that the portrait was stolen from victims of the Nazi regime, added Walter.

During the Third Reich, the Nazi’s exercised strict control of the cultural world and forced Jewish owners to sell their works of art at very low prices.

Rosenbaum sold the portrait in 1936, but the Nazis confiscated the revenue. The Staatsgalerie of Stuttgart received the portrait in 1948 after it was left to Baden Württemberg by German art collector Heinrich Scheufele.

The administration in the German museum affirmed that they have no intention of buying the portrait for their collection. According to regional authorities, the value of the portrait has five digits.

Germany has returned since 1998 more than 14 thousand 300 properties, among them more than 8 thousand 900 books, to their original owners, according to the German Foundation of Lost Art.