Between 1941 and 1943, the MAK purchased a number of silver artifacts from the Dorotheum, including a samovar. The only cue regarding its provenance was the number given on the invoice. The Austrian State Archives’ holdings comprise a card index recording a large part of the so-called § 14 deliveries. This file concerns all those objects of precious metal as well as pearls and jewels which persons persecuted by the Nazi regime as Jews were forced to hand over in 1939/1940.

 

In September 2007, the Dorotheum and the contact department of the Vienna Jewish Community finished the project dedicated to the digitization of this card index. Subsequently, the invoice number concerning the samovar could be attributed to Hermine Schütz from Vienna. Further research confirmed that the samovar had been in her possession until 1939.
 

On 7 March 2008, the Advisory Board recommended the restitution of the samovar to the heirs-at-law of Hermine Schütz, which was effected on 21 July 2010.