The criminals, gloved, hooded and helmeted, operated around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday while the Cognacq-Jay museum in Paris was open to the public.
No injuries were reported, said a source close to the matter, adding that the stolen objects, “five historic boxes and snuff boxes”, had been loaned to the museum for the “Luxury in Pocket” exhibition. The damage is currently being estimated.
Seek to “make it difficult to conceal them”
The Louvre Museum announced this Wednesday at the end of the day that two works from its collections, loaned to the Cognacq-Jay Museum as part of this exhibition, had been stolen.
“These are two particularly important snuff boxes dating from the 18th century, made respectively by Johann Christian Neuber (Dresden around 1763-1770. Inventory number OA 63) and by Daniel Baudesson (Berlin 1760-1770. Inventory number OA 2,142),” the Louvre museum told AFP.
The City of @Paris condemns the violent robbery of the @museecognacqjay and salutes the professionalism and exemplary attitude of the agents who followed the protocols in force and stood alongside the visitors.
A police investigation is underway. pic.twitter.com/8MgeplJ98m— Carine Rolland (@carine_rolland) November 20, 2024
“Considering the historical value and the precious nature of these pieces”, the Louvre Museum explained that it wished to “facilitate the rapid identification of these two art objects within the framework of ongoing investigations in order, in particular, to make their concealment difficult. “.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office, requested by the AFP, “confirmed having referred an investigation into armed robbery by an organized gang to the banditry repression brigade”.
A “psychological and listening unit”
In a press release, the Paris town hall announced the establishment of a “psychological and listening unit for the agents present who demonstrated great professionalism and an exemplary attitude in the face of this situation”.
This cell, added the town hall, “will also welcome visitors present at the time of the incident if they wish”. The city filed a complaint.
The Cognacq-Jay museum, located in the 3rd arrondissement of the capital, is hosting the “Pocket Luxury” exhibition until Sunday, which, according to the presentation file, exhibits “small, precious and sophisticated objects from the Age of Enlightenment, in gold , enriched with hard stones or precious stones, covered with mother-of-pearl, porcelain or translucent enamels, sometimes decorated with miniatures.
This exhibition, which includes objects from the collection of Ernest Cognacq, is enriched with important loans – from prestigious institutions such as the Louvre Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, the Château de Versailles, Le Palais Galliera in Paris, the English Royal Collections or the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
