Museum of Fine Arts announces acquisition of Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Girl.

The till-then unknown, sixteenth century painting is subsequently thought to have brought into the U.S. illegally. The painting is seized by U.S. customs agents on January 6, 1971 and its authenticity is subsequently questioned. The museum is not charged with smuggling, but it returns the painting to the Italian government on September 10, 1971. The entire affair prompts the resignation of museum director Perry Rathbone on August 9, 1971, effective July 1, 1972.