意大利博物馆希望德国归还被纳粹偷走的画

Italian Museum Wants Germany to Return Painting Stolen by Nazis²

The director of a well-known art museum in Italy is urging Germany to return a Dutch painting stolen by Nazi¹ troops during World War II.

Eike Schmidt is director of Uffizi Gallery, a museum in the Italian city of Florence. He is making the issue known by hanging a black-and white image of the painting. The word “Stolen” appears on the image in three languages.

Schmidt said this week that the painting “Vase of Flowers” by Dutch artist Jan van Huysum is in the hands of a German family that has refused to return it – even after many appeals. Representatives for the family have demanded payment³ for its return to Italy.

The “Vase of Flowers” painting is worth millions of dollars. It was first put on display in Florence in 1824, after Grande Duke Leopoldo II bought it for his art collection.

Schmidt said, “The painting is already the inalienable property of the Italian State, and thus cannot be ‘bought.”

The oil painting hung as part of Leopoldo II’s collection from 1824 until World War II. It was moved to a village for safety during the war, but Nazi troops stole it. It did not appear again until Germany reunified in 1991, when the offers to sell it back to Italy began.

Schmidt, who is German, said issues like these are preventing the healing⁴ of wounds from the war. “Germany should not apply the statute⁵ of limitations⁶ to works⁷ of art stolen during the war,” he said, adding that the country must ensure those works are returned to their owners.

He called it Germany’s “moral⁸ duty” to return the artwork. “I trust that the German government will do so at the earliest opportunity,” he said.”

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

museum – n. a building where interesting and valuable things (such as paintings or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public

display – adv. put somewhere for people to see

inalienable – adj. impossible to take away or give up

statute of limitations – n. a law that states the amount of time that must pass before a crime can no longer be punished or a right can no longer be given

moral – adj. concerning⁹ or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

1 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

2 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

4 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

6 limitations   

n.局限，不足之处

参考例句：

• The team's technical limitations were exposed by the Italians. 意大利人使这个队的技术缺陷暴露无遗。
• He knows his limitations as a writer. 他知道自己作为一个作家的局限性。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

9 concerning   

prep.关于，论及

参考例句：

• What do you know concerning this?关于这事你知道些什么？
• Some senior students wrote in asking for information concerning postgraduate studies.一些四年级学生写信询问有关研究生课程的信息。