Rare Antiquities Stolen in Brazen Raid
Thieves stole three irreplaceable pieces of porcelain from the Adrien Dubouche Institute in Limoges, France, in a brazen night-time burglary early Thursday. Items stolen were two Chinese dishes dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries and an 18th-century Chinese vase, all of which are national treasures. Police estimate their combined worth at approximately €9.5 million (£8.2 million).
The burglars allegedly broke a window to enter, which set off the museum’s alarm. Police were called quickly by security guards who discovered the theft, but suspects were gone. Investigators opened an inquiry into “aggravated theft of cultural property put on show in a French museum, committed in a group and with damage to property.”
Officials Call for Review of Museum Security
Limoges prosecutor Emilie Abrantes verified that the suspects are still at large. Mayor Émile Roger Lombertie admitted that although the security system in the museum was operating properly, there could be room for improvement. “All the great museums of the world have had objects stolen one time or another,” he stated. “It is probably that collectors are instructing thieves to steal these objects and are turning to top-level criminals.
The Adrien Dubouche Museum contains about 18,000 pieces, among them the world’s largest public collection of Limoges porcelain. The theft sent shockwaves throughout the art and museum worlds by calling attention to the ongoing threats to cultural institutions.
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A Rising Pattern of Museum Thefts
The robbery is the latest in a series of high-profile museum thefts in France. Four suspected robbers broke a glass case in the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris last November with axes and clubs, stealing snuffboxes and other precious artefacts. A day later, the Hieron Museum in eastern France suffered from another armed robbery that yielded several million euros worth of jewellery.
Experts say the increasing sophistication of organized groups of thieves, whose motive in many cases is collectors who will pay top dollar, is a prime driver of such brazen thefts. Police are investigating whether the stolen Limoges are to be sold on the black market or to private collectors, and security overhauls at leading cultural centers are likely to tighten up.
As the search for the stolen porcelain continues, authorities are calling upon anyone who has information regarding the theft to report it, with hopes that these priceless art pieces will be returned before they go into international black market obscurity.
