King Charles’s heirlooms were targeted by axe-wielding thieves in Paris (Image: Getty, Royal Collection Trust)
‘s family by robbers during an axe raid on one of Paris’s most central museums, it has emerged.
French media reported that on November 20, four thieves wearing gloves, hoods and helmets broke into the Cognacq-Jay museum, located in the French capital’s historic Marais district, in broad daylight and smashed a glass display case using axes and baseball bats.
The culprits took seven , which were on display for the museum’s “Luxe de poche” (Pocket Luxury) exhibition.
While initially, French media claimed the total value of the stolen objects was around £830,000 (€1 million), Paris council said the sum was still being estimated.
Among the items stolen were two pieces on loan from The Royal Collection Trust, the charity that maintains the Monarchy’s art collection for public viewing.
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The Cognacq-Jay museum was raided by thieves on November 20 (Image: Getty)
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was a snuffbox which had been a present for George V on his 55th birthday in 1920. The Royal Collection Trust described it as: “Cartouche-shaped, gold and lapis lazuli snuff box with tapering sides and oval agate base.
“Although it is not known where the snuffbox was made or by whom, boxes incorporating semi-precious hard stones within gold mounts are usually associated with German makers in the eighteenth century, in particular the lapidaries and goldsmiths of Dresden.”
The featured 3,000 diamonds and was bought by Queen Mary in 1932 for £1,000 – the equivalent in of £58,987 in today’s money, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator.
The charity described it on its website: “Green jasper snuff-box, mounted with gold borders, finely chased with flowers and foliage in vari-coloured gold.
“This spectacular bloodstone box is encrusted with nearly three thousand diamonds backed with delicately coloured foils in shades of pink and yellow. It is one of the finest of the series of boxes made in the Fabrique Royale in Berlin and associated with Frederick II (‘the Great’) of Prussia (1712-86).
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The Fabrique Royale snuff box (Image: Royal Collection Trust)
Snuff box with a cameo of the Birth of Venus (Image: Royal Collection Trust)
“The snuff box is unique among the surviving Frederick the Great boxes for both its elaborately chased vari-coloured gold mounts and its particularly lavish use of diamonds.”
The City of Paris said in a statement that on Wednesday, November 20: “The Cognacq-Jay museum, located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, was the target of a very violent robbery while the public and officers were on site.”
“The City of Paris strongly condemns this violent action during which several objects were stolen. The assessment of the damage is underway.”
The Cognacs-Jay museam said: “In the wake of the violent robbery that took place on Wednesday 20 November at the Musée Cognacq-Jay, and followingthe initial investigations and legal proceedings carried out in close cooperation with the police, the Brigade de Répressiondu Banditisme (BRB) and the City of Paris, Paris Musées confirms the theft of seven works of art, including snuffboxesof great historical and heritage value on loan from the Louvre, the Royal Collection and The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert museum, as part of the ‘Luxe de poche’ exhibition.”