Max Rothstein, a Jewish World War I veteran and successful banker, lived in prewar Berlin, where he owned a significant collection of paintings, antique ivory figures, and Persian rugs. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, Rothstein’s family was forced to move from Lützowplatz 12 to Holsteiner Ufer 17. Over the next few years, his earnings dwindled, and by December 1937, Rothstein had to step down as co-owner of Willy Rosenthal Jr. & Co., which closed in May 1938.^[1]

In 1938, the Rothsteins fled Germany for Amsterdam, where Rothstein started a champagne import business. To raise funds, he began selling parts of his art collection, consigning several pieces to Jewish art dealer Dr. Albert Heppner. Some works were auctioned by Christie’s in London in February 1939, with unsold items returned to Rothstein in Amsterdam.^[1]

After the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Rothstein was forced to sell more artwork and store possessions, including paintings by Dutch masters, at H. Hoogewerff Jr. & Co. In 1941, the family emigrated to the U.S. via Cuba, but the stored items never reached them. Rothstein passed away in 1950.^[1]

The Rothstein Collection, including a missing Ruysdael painting, was later discovered on the Origins Unknown website. This site tracks artworks from the Nederlands Kunstbezit (NK) Collection, which includes objects the Netherlands recovered from Germany after World War II that could not be returned to their original owners.^[1]