Louvre vows to restore the imperial crown dropped by thieves during museum robbery

PARIS -- The diamond and emerald-studded crown of Empress Eugénie, which was recovered damaged extracurricular the Louvre aft seemingly being dropped during the Oct. 19 robbery, volition beryllium restored arsenic a awesome of “renaissance,” the museum's manager Laurence des Cars said Friday.

Thieves made distant with eight objects connected display astatine the Paris museum, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and azygous earring from a acceptable linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. They forced their mode done a model into the Apollo Gallery with the assistance of a freight lift, utilizing disc cutters to chopped done show cases and bargain the jewels.

Only Empress Eugénie’s imperial crown, with much than 1,300 diamonds, was recovered connected the time of the robbery extracurricular the museum.

Des Cars said the crown was apt damaged erstwhile it was removed from its show lawsuit done a “small cut” made by the disc cutter, alternatively than erstwhile it fell down connected the ground.

“All of the astir important pieces, the diamonds and emeralds, are really inactive there,” she said successful an interrogation with the France Info quality broadcaster. "A fewer tiny pieces of diamonds are missing, but that’s astir it,” she said, adding that “one of the 8 golden eagles connected the crown is missing.”

Des cars confirmed the crown volition beryllium restored with financing from patrons who already offered their support.

“We're going to acceptable up a technological committee to supervise the restoration and it volition beryllium a beauteous awesome of the Louvre’s renaissance,” she said.

Des Cars offered to resign connected the time of the robbery, which was refused by the civilization minister.

“I saw a tragic, brutal, convulsive world for the Louvre, and arsenic the idiosyncratic successful charge, aft each the hard enactment done by the teams that time — it felt close to connection my resignation,” she said.

Des Cars said she pushed for modernizing the depository soon aft she was was named its caput successful 2021. Problems she listed see “the obsolescence of our method facilities, the dilapidation of the building, structural issues related to welcoming visitors and overcrowding successful the pyramid, which was designed for 4 cardinal visitors but present welcomes 9 million, and the occupation with the show of the Mona Lisa, which is precise unsatisfactory.”

Her comments travel a time aft France's tribunal of auditors urged the Louvre to speed up its information modernization plans arsenic a priority. The report, focusing connected the 2018-2024 play and conducted earlier the robbery, said the museum’s investments prioritized “visible and charismatic operations,” specified arsenic buying caller pieces of creation and improving visitant experience, alternatively than security.

Des Cars rejected the criticism, arguing that the Louvre is tasked with each missions together.

The decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan, which includes information improvements, was launched earlier this year. It is estimated to outgo up to 800 cardinal euros ($933 million) to modernize the museum's infrastructure, easiness crowding and springiness the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated assemblage by 2031.