News:

The works, originally owned by the Jewish art collectors Jacques Goudstikker and Nathan Katz, include paintings by Jan Steen, Philips Wouwerman and Dominicus van Tol.

The Culture Ministry says the artworks will be given to the National Heritage Office, but added that the heirs of the original owners can apply to the Culture Ministry if they wish to have their property returned. The ministry also said the Netherlands and Germany are still negotiating the return of another six works looted by the Nazis.

The artworks could reignite the row sparked by the refusal of the Dutch government to return artworks looted by the Nazis to their rightful owners or their heirs after the war. The was at the centre of a particularly bitter battle for restitution and the Dutch government finally agreed to return the works in 2006 after eight years of legal wrangling.

The works scheduled for return are: Two Men with a Horse on the Beach by Philips Wouwerman: Boy with a Dog by Dominicus van Tol, Bearded Man Drinking by Hendrick Gerritsz Pot; Bathsheba after Bathing by Jan Steen, Coastal Landscape by Pieter van der Croos and Kneeling Woman, attributed to Gerard Dou.