An infamous Matisse painting stolen from Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenburg in World War II by invading Nazis was finally returned to his heirs. After years of being practically lost to the world, Henri Matisse's "Seated Woman", or "Femme Assise," was discovered in an apartment in Munich a few years ago, as part of a treasure stash by German collector Cornelius Gurlitt.

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"Femme Assise" is believed to be worth approximately £13m today. It was one of the first two artworks from Gurlitt's trove returned to its rightful owners. There were about a thousand original works of art found hidden in the apartment, which was raided as a result of a tax investigation in 2012. A Swiss museum, as well as one of Gurlitt's cousins challenging his will, promised to take steps in returning the looted pieces to their Jewish owners' heirs.

Furthermore, Germany's government signed a restitution agreement for the Matisse painting, as well as for Max Liebermann's "Two Riders on the Beach." Last Tuesday, the Munich court handling Gurlitt's estate formally authorized the return of "Femme Assise" after the endorsement from two potential heirs to his estate.

Christopher Marinello, CEO of the London-based Art Recovery Group, spoke on behalf of the Rosenberg heirs. He has been working alongside them ever since the news of Gurlitt's vast hoard came to light. In an interview with NBC News, he expressed the heirs' gratitude and elation over the return of one of their family's most precious heirlooms. "(The painting) has not been touched since the hand of Matisse so that's very good news," Marinello reported.

Gurlitt passed away in May of last year, yet the legal battles over his estate remains, especially after he named a Swiss museum the sole heirs of his collection. To this day, the German government continues to delve into the history of the rest of the paintings in his collection.

Tagsmatisse painting., jewish art dealer, nazi loot