2023-08-16 22:25:02
The British Museum has announced this Wednesday the “very unusual” theft of objects from his collectionincluding pieces of gold and semi-precious stones, which has led the London institution to dismiss an employee.
“The trustees of the British Museum were extremely concerned to learn, this year, that items from his collection had been stolen“, declared in a statement Georges Osborne, president of the ‘British’, known for housing the Rosetta Stone or parts of the Parthenon Frieze.
According to Osborne, priority was given to “finding the stolen parts” and concrete actions were taken: “We called the Police, we imposed emergency measures to reinforce security, we opened an independent investigation to find out what had happened and learn from it and use all the disciplinary powers at our disposal with the person we deem responsible«.
According to the institution, most of the objects that “disappeared, stolen or damaged” are “small pieces” that were stored in warehouses. They had not recently been on public display and were being kept “primarily for research purposes.”
Gold jewelry, semi-precious stones between the XV century a. C. until the 19th century
Among them there is “agold sheets, semiprecious stones or glassware«created between the fifteenth century before the Christian era and the nineteenth century AD, he specified.
“This is a highly unusual incident,” said Hartwig Fischer, director of the Museum, quoted in the statement. “The museum apologizes for what happened, but now we have put an end to this and we are determined to put order“he added.
As Fischer explained, the Museum turned to outside experts to establish a “definitive list” of all missing, damaged or stolen pieces.
“This will allow us to deploy all possible efforts to find them,” he said.
Legal actions against the former employee
The British Museum said it took legal action against the former employee. In addition to the independent investigation into the incident, the London Metropolitan Police’s economic crime unit also took up the case.
Founded in 1753, the British Museum is one of the most prestigious in the world and one of the most visited places in the UK.
Its collections of eight million works include Egyptian mummies, African sculptures and pottery from the Roman Empire.
The controversies of the British Museum
In recent years, it has been at the center of a controversy for the origin of some of its pieces, that the United Kingdom obtained (or plundered, according to critics) during the colonial era and whose restitution several countries demand. This is the case of the fragments of the Parthenon Frieze, which Greece wants to recover, or the Benin bronzes.
The management of the museum expressed its willingness to reach an agreement with the Greek authorities, but the British government is categorically opposed to returning the marbles (75 meters in total) taken from the Parthenon and which, according to the British Executive, were legally acquired by the diplomat Lord Elgin.
The law strictly regulates any transfer of pieces from the British Museum.
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