The special exhibition "Luxe de poche," featuring precious objets de vertu from the 18th century at the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris, was originally scheduled to end in September. However, due to high demand, it was extended until November 24. Just a few days before the exhibition's final closure, a shocking incident occurred: four masked men broke into the premises during public opening hours, smashing display cases with axes and baseball bats. They stole a total of seven extremely valuable snuffboxes before fleeing on two scooters. The police launched an investigation immediately. The museum will remain closed until 10 December.
The Musée Cognacq-Jay, operated by Paris Musées, houses the collection of 18th-century art and craftsmanship amassed by Ernest Cognacq (1839–1928) and Marie-Louise Jaÿ (1838–1925), the founders of the La Samaritaine department store in Paris. In addition to the treasures from the museum's own collection, the special exhibition featured loans from other significant collections. The stolen items consist exclusively of these loans, which came from the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal Collection Trust.
See also: The Top 10 Stolen Masterpieces That Are Still Missing
The next incident occurred just one day later, on November 21, in the small town of Paray-le-Monial in southern Burgundy. The Musée du Hiéron, which specialises in sacred art, houses the sculpture Via Vitae, a piece classified as a national art treasure of France and valued at €5–7 million.
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Via Vitae was created between 1894 and 1904 by the renowned Parisian goldsmith Joseph Chaumet. It depicts the key events in the life of Jesus Christ on a marble mountain approximately three meters high, adorned with 138 figures made of gold and ivory, and embellished with decorations of gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and rock crystal.
This robbery also took place during public hours, carried out by four masked individuals who fired warning shots to intimidate museum staff and visitors. They then sawed through the bulletproof glass that was meant to protect Via Vitae and took figures and parts of its decorations. The escape was made on two motorcycles, with nails scattered on the road to deter pursuers. In September 2022, Via Vitae was already the target of an attempted theft, which ultimately failed. In 2017, two golden crowns were stolen during a nighttime break-in at the Musée du Hiéron.
The recent incidents are reminiscent of other art thefts in recent years, such as the organised break-in at the Dresden Green Vault in 2019, where glass display cases were also violently smashed, or the robbery at TEFAF in 2022, which likewise occurred during opening hours.
See also: A Celtic Gold Treasure Stolen from Bavarian Museum
The increasing brutality and audacity of museum robberies present a challenge to authorities and institutions alike to better protect their valuable exhibits, as well as staff and visitors in the future.
