By: Maisy Fleming
When you think of famous art, I’m sure your mind instantly goes to the Mona Lisa, and where is the Mona Lisa displayed? At one of the most famous and prestigious museums in the world! What originally started as a royal fortress became an art museum in 1793, the Louvre contains 380,000 pieces of incredibly beautiful and priceless pieces of artwork, all the way from the Crown Jewels to the Winged Victory. The gallery is such an honor for France and is widely known by many people all around the world. With the Louvre being so praised and so famous, it was a shock to learn that at 9:30 A.M on Sunday of October 19th, the museum was robbed by a group of thieves. Nine pieces of Napoleonic jewelry were stolen, all beautiful pieces as well as priceless. Thieves used a truck-mounted ladder to reach up and break into a window leading to the Apollo Gallery, a hallway head to toe in gold, and the section containing the priceless jewelry works of art. The thieves proceeded to take a tiara, a necklace, an earring set, and an emerald necklace with emerald earrings, along with other priceless pieces. A component of the theft that has left people stunned is that the operation took place in broad daylight while the museum was open to the public. When you typically think of heists, you imagine them at night, with alarms and a chase, where the thieves are not instantly caught. The thieves managed to flee the scene on motorcycles accompanied by a truck, and while people have been on the edge of their seats waiting for information, many days passed before any knowledge of the thieves was revealed. It is now said that suspects have been taken into custody for the accusation of committing theft. Although the spotlight has been put on these suspects, the jewels still go undiscovered, and out of the four-person team that committed to the robbery, only two people have been declared suspects. Many people have come to their own conclusions that the fate of the jewelry will leave the priceless pieces melted down and illegally sold. This scheme has become a joke on the internet as people are confused as to how this was pulled off. The plan doesn’t seem well thought out or executed well, making it laughed at as it is circling around social media. As of now, the stolen artwork has not been recovered, and who knows what will happen in the future? Are these priceless jewels going to be returned to the gallery, or will the infamous Louvre be down to 379,991 irreplaceable pieces?