The Louvre in Paris, home to some of the most precious treasures in the world, has made global headlines after a daring daylight jewel heist that has stunned France and the world.

But this is not the first time the Parisian museum has fallen prey to thieves. Here are two other high-profile thefts that made history.

1. The theft that made an icon

Long before security cameras and motion detectors, a small moustachioed man managed to steal Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, making the painting a household name in doing so.

On the evening of 20 August 1911, former Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia hid overnight inside a storage cupboard. When the museum opened early the next morning, he slipped out dressed in a white worker’s apron, removed the Mona Lisa from its frame, and simply walked out of the building with the painting hidden beneath his coat.

It took 24 hours before anyone even noticed the masterpiece was missing. Rumours swirled that everyone, from JP Morgan to Kaiser Wilhelm, was behind the heist, and even Picasso and poet Guillaume Apollinaire were questioned.

Strangely, more people flocked to the Louvre to see the blank space on the wall than had ever visited the painting itself. For 28 months, the space remained empty until Peruggia tried to sell it to a dealer in Florence and was caught. The Mona Lisa returned, and the scandal cemented the painting’s legendary status.

2. The missing armour

More than 70 years later came the Louvre’s next major theft. Two ornate gold- and silver-encrusted pieces of 16th-century armour vanished from the museum on 31 May 1983.

The stolen helmet and upper back piece, which once belonged to French royalty, were part of a collection donated to the Louvre by the Rothschild family in 1922.

This time, it took almost 40 years for the goods to be recovered. In 2021, a French military antiquities expert contacted police after being asked to appraise the items as part of an estate in Bordeaux. The expert recognised them from the Treima database of stolen art, and the pieces were promptly returned to the museum.

3. The great Louvre jewel heist

In what is considered one of the boldest art crimes in recent memory, the Louvre has been robbed again. On Sunday, the priceless crown jewels of the French monarchy were taken in broad daylight.

Shortly after the museum opened, four thieves used a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to reach the first-floor balcony. Once inside, two thieves cut through glass panes using battery-powered disc cutters, threatened museum guards, and raided two display cases containing royal jewellery.

What was stolen?

· A tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III
· An emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie Louise
· A sapphire tiara, necklace and earring once worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
· The famed ‘reliquary brooch’ adorned with diamonds and precious stones

Two more jewels, including Empress Eugénie’s crown, were later found near the scene, apparently dropped when the thieves escaped on scooters.

Hopefully, the remaining pieces are eventually returned undamaged. But either way, art, intrigue, and daring escapes have once again paved the way for some more Hollywood blockblusters.

SOURCES: www.news.artnet.com | www.apollo-magazine.com | www.history.com | www.bbc.com

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