PARIS (Reuters) -Authorities have yet to say what pieces were stolen from Paris’ Louvre on Sunday, but here are details of some of the treasures housed in the museum gallery the thieves targeted.
Among the items displayed there are gems making up France’s crown jewels, including one of the world’s most valuable diamonds.
HOW DID THE THIEVES BREAK INTO THE LOUVRE?
The thieves pulled up outside the Louvre on Sunday morning, on a road along the Seine river, and used an extendable ladder to break into an upper window that looks into the Galerie d’Apollon, or Apollo Gallery, authorities said.
WHAT IS THE GALERIE D’APOLLON?
In 1661, after a fire broke out at the Louvre, Louis XIV began works on what is now the gallery, entrusting them to architect Louis Le Vau. The young king wanted the gallery to reflect his new emblem, the sun, and so Le Vau modelled the space on Apollo, the Greek god of the sun.
The resulting hall, an ornate space of gold leaf and paintings, would be the model for the Palace of Versailles’ world-famous Hall of Mirrors, finished 20 years later after Louis XIV left Paris for Versailles.
WHAT EXHIBITS ARE IN THE GALERIE D’APOLLON?
The gallery hosts the “Côte de Bretagne” spinel, a red-hued gemstone in the shape of a dragon which once belonged to Anne de Bretagne.
There are also three important diamonds in the collection once owned by France’s ousted royalty.
The first, the Regent, is one of the most famous in the world and weighs 140.64 carats. Sotheby’s has estimated the diamond to be worth more than $60 million.
“Even today, it is considered the finest diamond in the world for its clarity and the quality of its cut,” the Louvre says on its website.
The Hortensia, a pink diamond, has already been stolen at least once, in 1792. It was found a month after its disappearance when the man suspected of stealing it – condemned to death and about to be hanged – revealed its hiding place.
WHAT OTHER TREASURES MAY HAVE BEEN STOLEN?
The gallery also includes the crown of Louis XV, as well as the crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which local media reported the thieves dropped outside the museum as they made their getaway.
Other pieces of headwear include the tiara of the Duchess of Angoulême, an emerald and diamond tiara that was given to the duchess by her uncle, Louis XVIII, and another tiara that was worn by Queen Hortense, Queen Marie-Amélie, and Isabelle of Orléans.
The collection also includes an emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Marie-Louise on the occasion of their marriage, and Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection, which comprises some 800 pieces.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Alison Williams)
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