I am NOT a lawyer, but I am very curious about how this will pan out.
You may not want to answer any of these questions on list, but...
Do you have such turreens? If so, what provenance do you have on
them? If I had received this claim, I would start with that. Even if
the email is a scam (which it seems like to me), if you think there
could be a legit claim on these objects, you may want to start that
research, just in case.
On 6/4/12, Beth Parker Miller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> We have recently received the following email. We are investigating its
> legitimacy and are interested to know if others may have received such
> an email as well.
> Thank you.
> Beth Parker Miller
> Registrar
> Winterthur Museum
> [log in to unmask]
> 302-888-4988
>
> From:SL Avocat [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2012 6:17 AM
> To: Linda Eaton
> Subject: Oppenheimer Estate claim of the silver soup tureens made by Johann
> Sebastian Würth Vienna 1781
>
> Dear Mrs.Eaton,
> May I present myself to you: I am the attorney of law of the heirs of Rosa
> and Jakob Oppenheimer, well-known art dealers and gallerists in Berlin who
> had to leave Germany in the very beginning of 1933 to escape from
> being murdered by Hitler's SA men, as well as the liquidator of the five
> companies they inherited the shares of by a bequest of Albert Loeske, one of
> the richest man in Berlin at this time because they worked for him in a very
> profitable way, such as the van Diemen & Co. Cie.
> These fine people did not overlive persecution. They fled to France. They
> hid in Nizza. Rosa who wanted to go out sometimes, was arrested and deported
> to Auschwitz where she got killed. Her husband did of sorrow in Nizza. They
> had three children Nelly divorced Bloch, Hildegard married STEIN and Hans
> who overlived, who overlived, got maried and had children for whom I am
> working.
> I hereby claim In my quality as attorney of law and liquidator of the art
> galeries one of which is the van Diemen & Co. company, and in the the name
> of all the heirs of Rosa and Jakob the above mentioned silver soup tureens
> which Rosa and Jakob were deprived of in duress at the Graupe auction, a
> so-called "Judenauktion" No. 142 on April 26/27th, 1935 Nos.336 and 337,
> plate 71, at slender prices.
> I settled many files for my clients with American museums and institutes
> such as SMITHONIAN Institut, Mueum of San DIEGO,the State of
> California etc. The settlement with Smithonian is published so that you can
> consult it.
> My clients are open to your suggestions, either you give the silver tureens
> back to them and of course they had to sell them since none of the heirs is
> rich enough to pay the part of the others heirs, or you pay them the amount
> these works of art are worth, what means that the tureens have to be
> evaluated by a neutral expert.
> Finally I draw your intention to the fact that some of my clients cannot
> live anymore alone and are in very expensive institutions for desabled
> persons. So please let us settle the present matter at your earliest
> convenience.
> As you know, we have a Holyday in France (Pentecôte) and nobody else is
> working in my office as me. I will forward a claim to you "en bonne et due
> forme" in a few days.
> Looking forward to hear from you as soon as possible,
> With best regards
>
> Eva STERZING
> Avocat à la Cour
> Liquidator of the van Diemen & Co company
> adresse postale : 72, route de la Reine
> 92100 Boulogne Billancourt
> Tél.: 01.77.87.70.20
> Fax : 01.77.87.70.24
>
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