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Showing posts with label Luxe de poche. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luxe de poche. Show all posts

October 17, 2025

Friday, October 17, 2025 - ,,, No comments

Five of the seven 18th-Century snuff boxes stolen from the Musée Cognacq-Jay have been recovered.

Five ornate snuff boxes stolen in a 2024 museum heist in France have been recovered.  Made of gold, precious stones, mother-of-pearl and enamel and valued at over €1M, the items had been stolen on 20 November 2024 from the Musée Cognacq-Jay, located in the Marais neighbourhood of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.                                                                                     On that date, four individuals, armed with axes and baseball bats, burst into the museum during "Luxe de poche. Petits objets précieux au siècle des Lumières," a temporary exhibition showcasing a variety of intricate boxes representative of the Age of Enlightenment,  while the museum's patrons could do nothing but stand and watch.  Wearing gloves and having donned hoods and helmets to conceal their identities, the daylight smash-and-grab team bashed open a single display case containing high-value jewel boxes loaned for the event from the Château de Versailles, the Musée du Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Palais Galliera, the English Royal Collections and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In and out before police could arrive, the culprits made a hasty getaway on scooters, driving off into Paris traffic with a total of seven bejewelled boxes, 

Which five boxes have been recovered?

This gold snuff box dating from the 18th century and encrusted with agate cabochons made by Johann Christian Neuber, a famous Dresden goldsmith known for his gold Steinkabinettabatiere.  This object had been on loan from the Musée du Louvre. 

This snuff box made of agate plates dating from 1760-1770, with hard stone reliefs, joined by a gold cage mount, and a lid encrusted with numerous brilliant-cut diamonds,  was made by Daniel Baudesson, and also on loan from the Musée du Louvre. 


This weighty diamond-covered box belonging to King Charles III, described as a green jasper snuff-box, mounted with gold borders, finely chased with flowers and foliage in vari-coloured gold with panels and borders richly overlaid with baskets and sprays of flowers, trophies and foliage.  It has nearly three thousand diamonds backed with delicately coloured foils in shades of pink and yellow.


This chrysoprase snuffbox was made in Berlin, Germany, in c. 1765and is associated with Frederick II, the Great, of Prussia (1712-1786). Its been previously on display at the Somerset House as part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.


This diamond-encrusted, varicoloured-gold snuffbox, decorated with figures in neo-classical landscapes was once gifted to Thomas Dimsdale (1712-1800), by Catherine II during the Russian smallpox epidemic of 1768.  part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Police are still searching for:



Another snuff box made by Johann Christian Neuber, this one from c. 1780 which combined his own technique of Zellenmosaik, or mosaic of hardstones set into gold collets, with the technique of Roman micromosaics only then recently developed.  It is part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

For now, the police and prosecutors remain tight-lipped on when or with whom these pieces were retrieved, but for now at least there has been some positive movement in the investigation. 

November 21, 2024

Thursday, November 21, 2024 - ,, No comments

Museum Theft: During the Musée Cognacq-Jay - Luxe de poche" Exhibition

Yesterday, thieves executed a daring daylight robbery at the Musée Cognacq-Jay, a museum located in the Hôtel Donon formerly owned by the eponymous family, and located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.                                                                                Around 10:30 a.m., four individuals armed with axes and baseball bats shattered a large glass display case in the museum, while wearing gloves, hoods, and helmets in order to conceal their identities selecting several of the most valuable pieces. The heist unfolded in front of visitors during regular opening hours, and no injuries were reported among staff and exhibition attendees.                                                                                                                                                            
All of the stolen objects were on loan to the museum as part of the temporary exhibition "Luxe de poche. Petits objets précieux au siècle des Lumières" which, because of its popularity, had been extended to run through 24 November 2024.  

The event showcased perfume bottles, candy boxes, music boxes, snuff boxes, and sewing kits decorated with gold, precious stones, mother-of-pearl or even enamels, highlighting objects from the 18th and early 19th centuries, which are representative of the Age of Enlightenment when precious objects like these were in vogue in France.  The event included objects loaned from the Château de Versailles, the Musée du Louvre, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Palais Galliera, the English Royal Collections and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 


In total, seven highly valuable objects were taken by the thieves before they made a hasty exit, departing into the Paris traffic on scooters. 

The stolen material taken in the robbery are as follows: 

This gold snuff box dating from the 8th century and encrusted with agate cabochons made by Johann Christian Neuber , known for his gold snuff boxes, which he called Steinkabinettabatiere.  This object was on loan from the Musée du Louvre. 

This snuff box made of agate plates dating from 1760-1770, with hard stone reliefs, joined by a gold cage mount, and a lid encrusted with numerous brilliant-cut diamonds,  made by Daniel Baudesson, also on loan from the Musée du Louvre. 


This diamond-covered box belonging to King Charles III, described as a green jasper snuff-box, mounted with gold borders, finely chased with flowers and foliage in vari-coloured gold with panels and borders richly overlaid with baskets and sprays of flowers, trophies and foliage.  This object has nearly three thousand diamonds backed with delicately coloured foils in shades of pink and yellow.


This chrysoprase snuffbox made in Berlin, Germany, in ca. 1765, associated with Frederick II, the Great, of Prussia (1712-1786), previously on display at the Somerset House as part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.



This c.1780 snuff box made by Johann Christian Neuber, one of the most celebrated goldsmiths in the history of snuffboxes which combined his own technique of Zellenmosaik, or mosaic of hardstones set into gold collets, with the technique of Roman micromosaics only recently developed, part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.


This diamond-encrusted, varicoloured-gold snuffbox, decorated with figures in neo-classical landscapes, gifted to Thomas Dimsdale (1712-1800), by Catherine II during the Russian smallpox epidemic of 1768, , part of the Gilbert Collection ©,  The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Prosecutors have indicated that the French police are treating this as an armed robbery by a criminal gang. As motives are explored, it should be remembered that due to their intricate craftsmanship and historical significance, snuffboxes made of gold and other precious materials, have long been prized by organised criminals, in part because they are small enough to easy move.   

Other examples of snuffbox thefts

"The Fulford Thefts" occurred in 1981 when Temple Newsam House in Leeds was burglarised in a nighttime heist, resulting in the loss of 24 exquisite snuffboxes.   In that incident, the culprits, operating under the cover of darkness, targeted these highly valuable items due to their intricate craftsmanship and historical significance. The incident was named after the notorious criminal gang linked to the thefts, and remains one of the most notable art crimes in UK history from a stately home.  The recovery of some pieces from this theft took decades. 

On June 10, 2003, the Johnson gang carried out a high-profile theft at Waddesdon Manor, a historic estate in Buckinghamshire, England. The gang broke into the Rothschild collection housed at the manor and stole over 100 priceless items, including a significant collection of antique gold snuff boxes. The meticulously planned raid lasted only minutes, during which the thieves targeted small but immensely valuable £5 million collection, due to their portability and worth. 

The Cognacq-Jay museum has specified that it is closed while the investigation is underway and that it will reopen on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.  People who have purchased advanced tickets for the “Luxe de Poche” exhibition or for other activities will be automatically refunded.

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