A painting that had been missing from Berlin's Old National Gallery for decades has been returned by Belgium in what officials are calling a joyful reunion. The artwork, "SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice" by Friedrich Nerly (1807-1878), was considered a wartime loss until it was recently discovered hanging in the Belgian Parliament building.

The painting's journey began in 1936 when it was loaned from the Old National Gallery's collection to the German Embassy in Brussels. From there, it eventually made its way to the Belgian Parliament building, where it remained unidentified for years. The breakthrough came when Belgian curator Sophie Wittemans discovered the artist's signature hidden on a gondola depicted in the painting.

Wittemans, who serves as curator of the art collection at the Palace of the Nation, the seat of the Belgian Parliament, had passed by the painting many times and wondered why a Venetian scene was displayed among a collection that primarily featured Belgian subjects. Her curiosity led her to research how the painting had arrived at its location. The inscription "Nerly" was found concealed under a white cloth on one of the gondolas in the scene.

The identification process was aided by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which had listed the painting on the lostart.de portal, a database for lost cultural artifacts. This listing helped connect the artwork back to the Berlin museum. The formal handover ceremony was conducted by Chamber President Peter De Roover in the presence of the German Ambassador to Belgium, with the painting being returned to Gero Dimter, Vice President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, and Anette Hüsch, Director of the Old National Gallery.

"The Old National Gallery is delighted about this surprising return! It is an extremely generous gesture by the Belgian Parliament, carried by the spirit of friendship," Hüsch said during the ceremony. The return represents a significant diplomatic gesture of goodwill between the two nations.

Friedrich Nerly, the artist behind the recovered work, was originally from Erfurt but spent 40 years of his career living and working in Venice. The painting "SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice" was acquired by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1849, the same year the artwork was completed. In 1876, the painting was transferred from the royal collection to the newly opened museum.

The recovered artwork will undergo transportation and potential restoration work before being displayed again at the Old National Gallery, with officials expecting it to be available for public viewing next year. The successful return highlights the ongoing international efforts to reunite cultural artifacts with their original institutions, particularly those displaced during World War II.