21903 art objects of all types, as counted and inventoried up to now.
A seizure record was made for each location, recording the origin of the objects with exact individual data. All seized art treasures were first taken to a collection warehouse at the former Jeau de Paume Museum and then to rooms of the Louvre which had been placed at their disposal. They were scientifically inventoried and photographed by scientific art workers of the special staff for pictorial art and carefully packed there by experts for transport to the Reich. These jobs were especially difficult, since the majority of the collections and individual art objects were taken over without any inventories or indications of origin, and the scientific cataloguing had to be carried out by the scientific art workers of the staff.
Since the beginning of 1943, art seizures of the staff have been extended to include also furniture seizures of the East Ministry, whereby a great number of individual valuable art works could be seized from individual dwellings and warehouses.
During the period from March 1941 to July 1944, the special staff for pictorial art brought into the Reich: 29 large shipments including 137 freight cars with 4174 cases of art works.
These shipments were taken to 6 shelters in the Reich, unpacked and stored with observation of all conservation, air raid and fire protection precautions. At the shelters the inventories, which had served in Paris only for indentification were supplemented according to scientific view-points, and the results of the scientific cataloguing were recorded on inventory lists and thoroughly indexed. With this scientific inventory of a material unique in its scope and importance and of a value hitherto unknown to art research, the special staff for pictorial art has conducted a work important to the entire field of art. This inventory work will form the basis of an all-inclusive scientific catalog, in which should be recorded history, scope and scientific and political significance of this historically unique art seizure.
A restoration work shop equipped with all technical aids was established by the special staff at one of the shelters, and has been occupied with the care and restoration of seized articles of artistic value as well as with their permanent observation at the shelters. Several hundreds of the works of art that had been neglected by their Jewish owners or had earlier been inexpertly restored were restored in this workshop and their preservation assured.
In addition, all seized articles of artistic value were photographed by the photography workshop of the special staff and included in a film library. Thereby not only the identity of each individual art work was recorded, but also material of permanent value for study and publication in the field of art was created.
Up to 15 July 1944 the following had been scientifically inventoried:
21,903 art works
5,281 paintings, pastels, water-colors, drawings.
684 miniatures, glass and enamel paintings, books and manuscripts.
583 plastics, terra-cottas, medallions and plaques.
2,477 articles of furniture of value to art history.
583 textiles (Gobelins, rugs, embroideries, Coptic materials).
5,825 hand-made art works (porcelains, bronze, faiences,
majolica, ceramics, jewelry, coins, art objects
made with precious stones).
1,286 East Asiatic art works (bronzes, plastics, porcelains,
paintings, folding screens, weapons).
259 art works of antiquity (sculptures, bronzes, vases,
jewelry, bowls, cut stones, terra-cottas).
These figures will be increased, since seizures in the West are not yet completed, and it has not been possible to make a scientific inventory of part of the seized objects because of the lack of experts.