Art theft: beware of easy solutions

The day after the robbery at the Musée Cognacq-Jay (see news item of 21/11/24), a new theft took place at the Musée du Hiéron in Paray-le-Monial, a little-known museum with an exceptional collection of religious art, in very similar circumstances and even more violently, since firearms were used. The criminals, according to information first revealed by the Journal de Saône-et-Loire and supplemented by AFP, stole the statuettes that adorned the work Via vitae (ill. 1) - there are 138 in all [1] - depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The work, which until 1993 adorned one of the salons at Chaumet, Place Vendôme, was classified as a national treasure, leading to its acquisition by the museum in 2005.

Joseph Chaumet (1852-1928)
Via Vitae or Path of Life, 1894-1904
Gold, ivory, silver, rock crystal, platinum, diamond, ruby, marble, alabaster, jasper, ormolu - H. 350 cm
Figurines stolen on 21 November 2024
Paray-le-Monial, Musée du Hiéron
Photo: Musée du Hiéron (CC BY-SA 4.0)

See the image in its page

The coincidence of the two cases is surprising, but there is nothing to suggest that they are linked. Once again, the motive behind the theft of these statuettes, made mainly of ivory, is being questioned. Although they also contain gold - the heads and certain limbs of the figures, as well as the figures of Christ, the two thieves and the Virgin (ill. 2 to 4) - the total weight of precious metal, if melted down, would probably only represent a relatively small sum. And the works are obviously unsaleable [2].

2. Joseph Chaumet (1852-1928)
Via Vitae or Path of Life, 1894-1904 (detail)
Gold, ivory, silver, rock crystal, platinum, diamond, ruby, marble, alabaster, jasper, ormolu - H. 350 cm
Figurines stolen on 21 November 2024
Paray-le-Monial, Musée du Hiéron
Photo : Croquant (CC BY-SA 3.0)

See the image in its page

3. Joseph Chaumet (1852-1928)
Via Vitae or Path of Life, 1894-1904 (detail)
Gold, ivory, silver,…