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An 18th-century marble bust of the goddess Diana looted by the Nazis in 1940 has returned to Warsaw from Vienna, where it recently surfaced at an auction house.

The return of the sculpture, by French master Jean-Antoine Houdon and valued at some 250,000 euros, is the latest development in Poland's yearslong effort to retrieve tens of thousands of works of art looted from museums and private collections in the nation's tumultuous history, most recently during World War II.

The white marble, bare-breasted bust of the hunter goddess was officially returned on Friday to Warsaw's Lazienki Palace, following months of efforts by Poland's government and the Art Recovery Group.

'It is wonderful to have her back with us," said Culture Minister Piotr Glinski.