Three Valuable Porcelain Artifacts Stolen in French Museum Break-In
Thieves stole three porcelain pieces valued in the millions during an overnight robbery at a museum in France.
The intruders set off an alarm at the Adrien Dubouché institute in Limoges early Thursday. According to an unnamed source, they broke a window to enter.
Officials reported that the group took "two highly significant Chinese porcelain dishes from the 14th and 15th centuries" and an 18th-century Chinese vase, all classified as "national treasures."
Authorities estimate the stolen items are worth approximately €9.5 million. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the "aggravated theft of cultural property displayed in a French museum, carried out by an organized group and involving property damage."
Emilie Abrantes, Limoges’ public prosecutor, stated that security personnel immediately alerted the police upon arrival, but the suspects had already escaped.
Émile Roger Lombertie, the city’s mayor, noted: "The security measures functioned, but they may require reassessment. Major museums worldwide have experienced thefts at some point. It’s probable that collectors are commissioning these thefts by employing skilled criminals."
The museum’s website indicates it houses around 18,000 pieces, including the most extensive public collection of Limoges porcelain.
In a similar incident last November, four individuals used axes and bats to smash a display case at Paris’s Cognacq-Jay museum, escaping with snuffboxes and other valuable artifacts.
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