[[{“value”:”
In a shocking incident, jewels were stolen from The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum in broad daylight on Sunday, October 19. The heist has not only shaken the art world but also enthusiasts everywhere as the thieves managed to steal eight items under four minutes while there.
According to the Associated Press (AP) report, the thieves rode a basket lift upwards to the Louvre`s facade, forced a window open, smashed display cases and fled with priceless Napoleonic jewels, officials said.
The report further said that the theft occurred about 30 minutes after the museum opened, with visitors already inside. It is also said to be among the highest-profile museum thefts in living memory.
It is even more surprising that it unfolded just 250 meters from the Mona Lisa by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci, often regarded as one of the most famous paintings in the world.
Items stolen from the Louvre
According to officials, eight objects were taken. While one is a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, the other is an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte`s second wife. The heist also saw them steal a reliquary brooch, as well as Empress Eugénie`s diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble.
One object, the emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III`s wife, Empress Eugénie, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum, French authorities said.
A day after the robbery, the Louvre Museum was closed to public. The museum`s staff asked dozens of visitors who were queuing in front of the glass pyramid entrance to leave the site, according to the report.
In a message posted on the social media, the Louvre said visitors who have booked tickets will be refunded. It did not provide additional details.
History of robberies
According to an earlier report by the AP, the Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous is from 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, which was recovered two years later in Florence.
Today the former royal palace holds some of the most famous art pieces in the world. The list includes Leonardo`s Mona Lisa; the armless serenity of the Venus de Milo; the Winged Victory of Samothrace, wind-lashed on the Daru staircase; the Code of Hammurabi`s carved laws; Delacroix`s Liberty Leading the People; Géricault`s The Raft of the Medusa. More than 33,000 works from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to Europe`s masters draw a daily tide of up to 30,000 visitors even as investigators now begin to sweep those gilded corridors for clues.
With inputs from AP
“}]]