A hunt has been launched for thieves who stole treasures from the louvre at the weekend, but warnings have been issued that the items may not be seen again.
On Sunday morning, four men drove a truck up to the family’s Paris museum, scaled the staircase to the second floor and began stealing. In seven minutes, the men started with the unattainable in French royal history.
Here’s what we know so far.
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It is very surprising that the stolen items were the French Crown Jewels – symbols of the French state and the country’s history.
They were all in the Apollon Gallery of the Louvre, on the second floor. Long payway room
Since 1887 the decoration room has kept what is left of the power of the French crown, after many have been sold. The remaining gems were the target of this weekend’s heist. As soon as the thieves break in, they go straight for those display cases, officials say.
Eight items were taken. Two rows, one with sapphires – like a crown, the crown is usually a headband or a tiara that symbolizes the king of kings – the necklace and earrings are the second French in France; an emerald necklace and earrings owned by Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife; and two brooches, one of which depicts the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Another thing belonging to Empress Eugénie was also stolen, but the thieves seem to have let it down, as it was found broken outside the museum after the breakup. It was his emerald set in his emerald, which contained more than 1,300 diamonds.
What is the importance of these things?
As first reported, the stolen items have been described as “non-erodible,” because their value means they cannot be replaced at any time for money.
Because these ON-A-ALL pieces will be immediately appreciated by any interested buyer, they are unlikely to sell as is. Chances are they will be broken into pieces. A precious metal can melt down, removing the knowledge of its origin. Precious stones such as diamonds can be removed from an object and again make it difficult or impossible to trace their origin.
However they are sold, there have never been reliable estimates of how much money thieves can get.
This has happened before
The high profile of Thievery from museums and art exhibitions has always happened, and it is the fodder for everything from news articles to true crime books, Netflix shows Hollywood movies.
The biggest heist in the history of the Louvre was when the world famous painting was stolen. In 1911, a man named VinCennzo Peruggia took over Mona Lisa With its frame, and it disappeared for two years until it was found in Florence.
The big, recent robbery was not a Canadian thing. In 2017, a 100-kilogram solid gold coin was taken from the Berlin museum . The coin was worth about $6 million. It is believed to have been cut up and the pieces sold. Three men were found later.
What has been described as the biggest art heist in US history – and perhaps the world – remains unsolved and the art is still missing. In 1990, two men hid as police entered Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum again steal 13 artworksincluding masterpieces by rembrandt, vermeer, degas and manet. The investigation was the subject of a book written in 2021 This is robbery.
What is being done?
The hunt is on for the thieves of the Louvre and the investigation is being carried out by the Special Unit of the Paris police which has solved high profile robberies before.
French government officials have asked senior officials in France “to quickly assess the security measures already in place around cultural institutions, and strengthen them if necessary.”
“For too long we have looked at the safety of visitors but not the safety of works of art,” said Culture Minister Rachida Dati, adding that she wants to speed up strategies to improve the safety of French museums.
Museums around the world commonly complain that they don’t have enough money to improve security. Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Remove International, an organization that tries to recover stolen art, said the Louvre Heist will involve all institutions. “The Louvre is one of the most well-funded museums in the world. And if it gets hit, the whole museum is at risk.”
