The British Museum has made progress in recovering some of the 2,000 stolen items, according to Chairman of Trustees, George Osborne. However, the 264-year-old institution admits that it does not have complete records of its vast collection. The thefts have caused damage to the museum’s reputation and have led to the resignation of its director, raising concerns about security and leadership.
Osborne stated that while the figure of 2,000 stolen items is provisional, the museum’s staff is diligently working to identify everything that is missing. These items include gold jewelry, gemstones, and antiquities dating back up to 3,500 years. The museum is collaborating with the antiquarian community and art recovery experts in an effort to retrieve these stolen pieces, none of which have been on public display recently.
The museum’s Director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned on Friday and apologized for not taking seriously enough a warning from an art historian about artifacts being sold on eBay. As a result of the ongoing review, Deputy Director Jonathan Williams also announced his decision to step aside.
In early 2021, British-Danish art historian and dealer, Ittai Gradel, expressed his suspicions to museum officials. However, his concerns were initially dismissed. Eventually, the museum involved the London Metropolitan Police at the beginning of this year. The museum has terminated the employment of a staff member and has initiated legal action against them, although no arrests have been made thus far. Gradel discovered the stolen items when he purchased one of three objects listed for sale on eBay. Through his investigation, he traced the other two items to the museum. Interestingly, the item he bought was not listed in the museum’s catalog, but it was later found to have been part of a collection that was donated to the museum in 1814. Gradel identified the seller as the now-fired museum staff member.
(Read more British Museum stories.)
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