On Sunday, October 19, a group of four thieves stole eight pieces of extremely valuable jewelry from the Louvre shortly after the museum opened. The theft occurred in the Apollo Gallery, an exquisite gilded room that served as a model for the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, according to the Louvre website. Alarms sounded and the guards evacuated the museum, but the thieves got away on scooters, the BBC reports. Several hours later, the museum issued a press release via X with information about the stolen pieces.
Among the oldest jewels taken were an emerald necklace and matching earrings from 1810 that Napoleon Bonaparte gave Marie-Louise of Austria upon their marriage. Also from the early 19th century was a set, comprising a sapphire necklace, tiara and single earring, that belonged to two queens. All crown jewels, the pieces have impressive provenances.
Take the heist’s most unusual prize, a nearly nine-inch-long diamond bow brooch that belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Set with more than 4,000 stones, it started life as the center of an audacious belt that the empress wore on a visit with Queen Victoria at the Palace of Versailles. Adapted as a brooch during Eugénie’s lifetime, it was purchased by the Astor family in 1887. After passing through other hands during the 20th century, the brooch was purchased by the Louvre in 2008 and returned to France. Eugénie owned several of the other stolen pieces, including a pearl-and-diamond tiara from 1853 and an 1855 gold-and-diamond pin known as the reliquary brooch.
Among the pilfered pieces, only the empress’s gold crown has been recovered, found outside the museum. According to the BBC, the topmost concern right now is finding the historic jewels before the thieves break them down to sell the metal and recut stones individually. The museum remains closed as investigations continue.
