5 out of seven precious 18th-century snuffboxes stolen last year from Paris’s Cognacq-Jay Museum have been discovered.
Paris Musées, a company that manages a number of of Paris’s metropolis museums, introduced the return of the objects this week. “Due to a radical investigation carried out by the police, with the help of the Paris Legal Investigation Division, 5 snuff containers of nice historic and heritage worth have been recovered and are actually secure,” the group stated in an announcement. No info on how or the place the gadgets have been found was offered.
Two of the 5 containers recovered have been on mortgage to the museum from the Louvre in Paris, two have been from the British royal household’s Royal Assortment Belief within the UK, and one was from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Two extra, one belonging to the V&A and one from the Royal Assortment are nonetheless lacking.
The Cognacq-Jay Museum homes an in depth assortment of 18th-century artwork and objects amassed by French businessman Ernest Cognacq, founding father of the La Samaritaine department shops. On his loss of life in 1928, he bequeathed his holdings to the town of Paris.
In November 2024, the snuffboxes have been on show on the museum as a part of the exhibition “Pocket Luxurious,” once they have been taken by masked thieves throughout a daylight theft. The containers, as soon as used to carry powdered tobacco, have been embellished with gold, treasured stones, mother-of-pearl, or enamel and estimated to be price at the very least €1M.
