A few days before the end of its “Pocket Luxury” exhibition, the Cognacq-Jay museum was the victim of a robbery “ of great violence », Reports the City of Paris. Yesterday, Wednesday, November 20 in the morning, four hooded individuals entered the Donon hotel armed with axes and baseball bats to steal precious protected objects from a display case, among visitors and museum agents. No injuries were reported but several works on display were stolen by the criminals. According to “ The World », the amount of loot would amount to 1 million euros.
An investigation opened for armed robbery by an organized gang
The robbers reportedly fled on scooters, taking their precious loot with them. Immediately following the incident, the municipal police and the national police intervened. An investigation into armed robbery by an organized gang was opened by the Paris prosecutor's office and the City filed a complaint and announced in a press release to remain “ available to the Police Prefecture so that the perpetrators of the acts can be identified “. Surveillance videos from the museum will be used by investigators. Contacted by “ Knowledge of the Arts », the museum did not provide further information.
View of the window targeted by the robbers in the “Pocket Luxury” exhibition at the Cognacq-Jay museum in Paris, 2024 © Paris Musées / Gautier Deblonde
A loot composed of objects from the Louvre and the British royal collection
Opened on March 28 and extended until November 24, “Pocket Luxury” presented a myriad of small, precious and refined objects, in gold, set with precious, semi-precious stones or diamonds. On its website, the Cognacq-Jay museum specifies that it is closed and that its reopening is scheduled for Tuesday December 10, 2024. As a reminder, it preserves the collection of 18th century European Art by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ , founders of the La Samaritaine department stores.
The Cognacq-Jay museum is nestled in the Hôtel de Donon in Paris. © Pierre Antoine
According to a press release from the Ministry of Culture, two works belonging to the Louvres collections, and loaned to the municipal museum as part of the exhibition, were stolen. These are two snuff boxes dating from the 18th century made respectively by Johann Christian Neuber and Daniel Baudesson. The first, in gold, is inlaid with agate cabochons. The second is made up of ten agate plates lined with pink silk, presents reliefs in hard stones, joined by a gold cage setting, and a cover encrusted with numerous brilliant-cut diamonds. “ Considering the historical value and precious nature of these pieces, the Louvre and the services of the Ministry of Culture will facilitate the rapid identification of these two art objects as part of the ongoing investigations, in order, in particular, to make their concealment », Declares the ministry.
Tabatière, Daniel Baudesson, 1760-1770, Paris, Louvre museum © RMN-Grand Palais (Louvre museum) / Martine Beck-Coppola
According to “ The Art Tribune », some stolen objects were allegedly on loan from the British Crown. A luxurious snuff box decorated with diamonds belonging to King Charles III and another covered with precious stones from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert collection on deposit at the Victoria and Albert Museum would be affected.
Snuffbox, anonymous, Berlin, circa 1765, London, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert collection on deposit at the Victoria and Albert Museum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The “Green Vault” heist in 2019
Today, all that remains is to hope that investigators quickly get their hands on the criminals to have a chance of finding the precious historical pieces in good condition. Unfortunately during robberies, gold objects are often melted down and diamonds and precious stones sold at retail. One of the last impressive heists carried out in a museum dates from 2019. The “Green Vault” (Grünes Gewölbe) in Dresden (Germany), a museum containing the largest collection of treasures in Europe, was the target of a robbery. Eleven pieces were stolen. They came from three different sets: the Diamantrosengarnitur (a set of diamonds), the Brillantgarnitur (a set of jewelry) and the The diamond jewelry and the pearls of the queens (the queens' jewels made of pearls and diamonds). Part of the elements of this treasure, dated between 1782 and 1789, had been identified two months after the events on the dark net.
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