5 out of seven priceless 18th-century snuffboxes stolen final 12 months from Paris’s Cognacq-Jay Museum have been discovered.
Paris Musées, a company that manages a number of of Paris’s metropolis museums, introduced the return of the objects this week. “Due to a radical investigation performed by the police, with the help of the Paris Prison Investigation Division, 5 snuff packing containers of nice historic and heritage worth have been recovered and at the moment are protected,” the group mentioned in a press release. No data on how or the place the gadgets have been found was offered.
Two of the 5 packing containers recovered have been on mortgage to the museum from the Louvre in Paris, two have been from the British royal household’s Royal Assortment Belief within the UK, and one was from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Two extra, one belonging to the V&A and one from the Royal Assortment are nonetheless lacking.
The Cognacq-Jay Museum homes an in depth assortment of 18th-century artwork and objects amassed by French businessman Ernest Cognacq, founding father of the La Samaritaine department shops. On his demise in 1928, he bequeathed his holdings to town of Paris.
In November 2024, the snuffboxes have been on show on the museum as a part of the exhibition “Pocket Luxurious,” once they have been taken by masked thieves throughout a daylight theft. The packing containers, as soon as used to carry powdered tobacco, have been adorned with gold, valuable stones, mother-of-pearl, or enamel and estimated to be price at the least €1M.
