The Louvre Museum in Paris has recovered a set of gold and silver-encrusted Renaissance-era armor nearly 40 years after it was stolen. The Renaissance-era helmet and body armor were made in Milan and encrusted in gold and silver, according to a statement from the Louvre.
Baroness Salomon de Rothschild gave the armor to the French state in 1922. The pieces were on display in the Louvre when they were stolen overnight from May 31 to June 1, 1983. A military antiques expert alerted police after being called in to give advice regarding an inheritance in Bordeaux in January and becoming suspicious about the luxurious helmet and body armor in the family’s collection. Bordeaux prosecutors are now investigating how they ended up in the family’s estate.
The armor will go on display in the Objets d’Art rooms in the Richelieu wing when the Louvre reopens. Estimations say the pieces are worth about €500,000 ($603,000).
Such thefts are rare, but not unheard of. Before the 20th century, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” wasn’t especially well-known outside art circles. But in 1911, a former employee of the Louvre pilfered the portrait and hid it for two years. This increased public fascination in the painting and rose its fame in popular culture.