Por Luis Verdoux, bfmtv
This Sunday, several thieves stole priceless jewels from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery. This section of the museum houses the royal collection of gems and the Crown Diamonds.
This is one of the Louvre Museum’s most prestigious galleries. The Apollo Gallery, raided by thieves on Sunday, October 19, who stole several priceless jewels, houses a prestigious collection of jewels that belonged to the royal family.
Today, the Apollo Gallery displays several paintings by great artists on its roof, as well as the Royal Collection of Gems and Crown Diamonds.
Laure Beccuau, a Paris prosecutor, invited to BFMTV, detailed the jewels stolen by the thieves this Sunday morning.
Nine objects “in the criminals’ sights”
“In the two display cases that were burglarized, one called the Diamonds display case and the other the Second Empire display case, the criminals focused on nine objects and stole eight,” he explained.
In the first display case, two sets of jewelry were displayed. In this case, a necklace and an earring from the Marie-Louise collection, as well as a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a tiara from the Marie-Amélie and Hortense collections.
The thieves then attacked a second display case containing Second Empire objects. They stole two brooches, one of which was said to be a locket, a bodice knot, and a tiara from Empress Eugénie’s collection.
The ninth object is Empress Eugénie’s crown, which was found by law enforcement upon arrival at the museum. It had been damaged by the thieves.
“The Minister of the Interior spoke of inestimable value, and given the current state of the proceedings, that’s the only adjective I can use. The historical value of these objects is what makes them so special,” the Paris prosecutor recalled.
Paintings from Various Periods
The Apollo Gallery, the thieves’ target, is a 17th-century room designed in 1661 after a fire that devastated the Petite Galerie, which dated back to the reign of Henry IV. It was his grandson, Louis XIV, who commissioned the architect Louis Le Vau. The young king, aged 23, had just chosen the sun as his emblem, so this gallery refers to the Greek god of light and the arts, Apollo.
The decoration lasted about fifteen years, before being completed in the 18th and 19th centuries under the leadership of academics and then Félix Duban.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors can admire several paintings on the ceiling. The oldest are The Night of Diana and The Triumph of Neptunia and Amphitrite by Charles Le Brun, dating between 1664 and 1677.
Great names in painting also appear there, such as Eugène Delacroix and his Apollo Slaying the Python (1850-1851), Charles-Louis Muller with The Dawn, and Joseph-Benoît Guichard and his The Triumph of the Earth or The Triumph of Cybele (1850).
The most famous diamond in the world.
At the center of the gallery is the French Crown Diamond Collection. It displays a wealth of gems dating back to the reign of Francis I, first brought together in 1532.
“These works, carved from precious minerals (agate, amethyst, lapis lazuli, jade, sardonyx, or rock crystal) and enhanced by often spectacular settings, are objects of great luxury, prized since ancient times,” explains the Louvre Museum’s website.
“Louis XIV had a true passion for precious stones: his collection numbered around 800 pieces,” the museum’s website also states.
In total, 23 pieces of jewelry are on display today, divided into three distinct groups: those from before the French Revolution; those from the First Empire, the Restoration, and the July Monarchy; and finally, those from the Second Empire.
Among them are several museum treasures, including three diamonds. First, the Regent (140 carats), considered one of the most famous stones in the world, which adorned Louis XV’s crown, Napoleon I’s sword, and a tiara belonging to Empress Eugenie. Also on display are the Sancy (55.23 carats) and the Hydrangea pink diamond (21.32 carats).
However, these diamonds were not the thieves’ target.
Royal Arrangements and Objects of Splendor
Several sets complete this collection, including the crowns of Louis XV and Empress Eugenie, the tiara of the Duchess of Angoulême, the set of Queen Marie-Amélie, the large bow from Eugenie’s bodice, and finally, the necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise’s emerald set.
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Other treasures can be admired, such as the lapis lazuli Neptune Ship, the Agate Jar, the Jade-Covered Cup, and the Rock Crystal Vase.
