Photos show the livinghood of Jewish people during the 1930s and 40s. [Photo/CNTV]

Ge has always been curious about the painting's origins. His only clue was the signature in the corner.

Ge went to the nearby Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, to see if the name was on the museum's long list of people known to have taken shelter in the city during the war. But the search yielded nothing.

"I heard from other families earlier that an elderly foreign lady visited our house twice some years ago and told them she lived here before. But it is such a great pity that they lost her contact information during the house's renovation," Ge said.

Ge's family is considering donating the painting to the museum, so that more people share their memories. Even if Ge never finds out the identity of the painting's owner, he knows they will always share a home and a part of history.