Parts of a priceless Meissen dinner service which may have been stolen from a Jewish family by the Nazis have been located in the Het Loo palace, the Rijksmuseum and three other Dutch museums, the Telegraaf says on Wednesday

In total, 15 pieces of crockery thought to be part of the service have been found. The items belonged to the Gutmann family but were auctioned off under pressure from the Nazis in 1934, the Telegraaf reports.

Amsterdam research bureau Artiaz began looking into the sale with the help of old auction room documents. It has now identified six pieces in Het Loo, which is one of the Dutch royal family’s palaces.

A further six pieces are in the Zuiderzee museum in Enkhuizen and one each in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Streekmuseum in Tiel and the Historisch Museum in Deventer, the Telegraaf says.

Sauce boats

A spokesman for the German research group Facts and Files which is researching the case for the Gutmann family, has confirmed fifteen sauce boats and plates are still missing.

The Het Loo foundation and Rijksmuseum say they are taking the case ‘very seriously’ and have begun their own investigations.

The items are part of a 435-part service given to Dutch stadhouder Willem V around 1774 by the Dutch East Indies company VOC. It features Dutch city and village vistas.

Willem V sold the service while in exile in England. Eventually, 26 pieces were bought by Herbert Gutmann, son of Eugen Gutmann who founded Dresdner Bank, the Telegraaf says.