A descendant of William Henry Seward—who was secretary of state for Abraham Lincoln and a former New York state governor—is powerless for now to challenge the proposed sale of a valuable painting given to his historic ancestor by a renowned artist, an appellate court has held.

But Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is not powerless, and is fighting the same battle as the descendant to ensure that the Thomas Cole original artwork remains with the Seward family museum upstate.