A French court on Tuesday ordered the return of a painting by impressionist master Camille Pissarro to the family of a Jewish art collector who was dispossessed during World War II.

The court ruled in favour of the relatives of Simon Bauer, who staked their claim on "La Cueillette des Pois" (Picking Peas) after it turned up in a Paris exhibition, on loan from an American couple who said they bought it in good faith.