$11 Million in Antique Chinese Porcelain Stolen from French Museum
Thieves raided the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges, making off with three Chinese porcelain treasures valued at $11 million in a daring early-morning heist.
In the early morning of September 4, burglars broke into the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges, France, and stole about €9.5 million, or $11 million, worth of antique porcelain.
The museum’s alarm system was triggered at about 3:15 AM when the thieves broke a window. They went to the museum’s historical gallery and seized three pieces of antique Chinese porcelain: two dishes, one dating to the 14th century and one to the 15th, and a vase from the 18th century. The police arrived quickly, but the suspects had already left the scene.
The stolen porcelain pieces are designated “national treasures.” According to France 24, prosecutors are investigating the crime as “aggravated theft of cultural property exhibited in a French museum, committed in a group and with damage to property.”
Emile Roger Lombertie, mayor of Limoges, suggested that “collectors are giving orders to steal these items and are turning to high-level criminals.”
Porcelain is especially important to Limoges, France, one of Europe’s earliest porcelain-making cities. Although porcelain had been made in China since the 6th century, the required kaolin clay was not mined in Europe until the 18th century. The first usable mines were located in Germany in 1709. Kaolin was discovered near Limoges in 1768, and the city’s first porcelain manufactory was established in 1771.
The Adrien Dubouché National Museum was initially founded as a general art museum in 1845. Its focus on ceramics developed after Adrien Dubouché became the director in 1865. He encouraged donations from local and foreign ceramics factories. In 1875, he inherited a collection of over 500 pieces from ceramics expert Albert Jacquemart, which he gave to the city of Limoges.
Today, the museum is largely focused on the art, history, and industry of porcelain. Its collection includes about 18,000 works, including what it claims is the world’s largest public collection of Limoges porcelain. The museum also has historical and artistic pottery and glass.
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