MOSCOW, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A long-running feud between Germany and Russia is again in the news, with Germany demanding the return of a long-lost Rubens masterpiece.
The Moscow Times said the painting -- "Tarquin and Lucretia" -- was stolen in Germany at the end of World War II, and now German officials say it should be returned. But a Russian businessman, Vladimir Logvinenko, is insisting it is private property, purchased legitimately.
The newspaper said the painting is badly damaged and bearing cracks from where it had been folded. It was painted between 1609 and 1612 by the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, and experts say it is valued at an estimated $80 million.
The painting depicting the mythological rape of Roman wife Lucretia is regarded as one of Rubens' finest works.
Der Spiegel reported the dispute has been added to the agenda of a meeting between German Chancellor Gerhard Schrader and President Vladimir Putin next month.
