Los Angeles police are currently conducting a search for clues related to the theft of a valuable Buddha statue weighing nearly 250 pounds. The statue, estimated to be worth around $1.5 million, was stolen from a gallery situated near West Hollywood. This news was reported by various media outlets.
In response to a burglary, Los Angeles police officers arrived at the Barakat Gallery on North La Cienega Boulevard, between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, before 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Surveillance footage, aired on KTLA5 and other local news channels, showed that the statue, dating back to Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1867), was stolen at approximately 3:45 a.m. on Monday.
Fayez Barakat, the gallery owner, expressed his deep attachment to the stolen statue. He told KTLA, “I prize it so much. I had it in the backyard of my home, and when I moved into this gallery, I put it in the backyard of the gallery for everybody to admire and enjoy.”
The suspect gained entry by breaking into the driveway gate and then used a dolly to transport the statue to a rental truck within a span of just 25 minutes, according to the station. “This gentleman came and, I think, strapped a rope or a chain around that piece and pulled it to his rental van and put it in the back,” Barakat informed KTLA.
Barakat expressed heartbreak over the loss of the statue. Theartnewspaper.com quoted Paul Henderson, director of Barakat’s Los Angeles location, as being “shocked” by how a lone thief managed to steal the 4-foot-tall statue despite its weight and drive away with it in a Budget rental truck. The assumption is that the robbery was premeditated.
“We’re all very puzzled,” Henderson stated. “Obviously this is a high-valued piece, it’s important, and aesthetically it’s a very interesting and unique item. It’s clearly a temple sculpture from that period, and the size and the execution make it a very rare item, so it’s not something you’d find on the market, which means it’s not something that could be resold easily.”
“We’re still trying to figure out what the motive was and what the thief thinks they’re going to do with this piece.”
The sculpture is credited to an artist named Tadazou Iinuma, as stated by an international art website. It bears an inscription that, when translated, reads, “Produced by Tadazou Iinuma, first year of Shouho, Kanoe. Prayed for and requested by Ryozen, master of Shingon religious party, Dainichi-Nyorai, Yudo-no-San Temple, of the highest social class.”
The inscription suggests that the sculpture was commissioned by a religious official named Ryozen and was likely originally installed at the Yudo-no-San Temple, a sacred location on Japan’s Mount Yudono, according to theartnewspaper.com.
“I hope that the person who stole it is not stealing it for the weight of bronze because it’s a historical item,” Barakat voiced his concern. “Whoever stole it, maybe that person understood the value. Probably, they commissioned somebody, a thief of some kind, to just go ahead and steal it.”
Aside from the Los Angeles location, Barakat also maintains galleries in London and Seoul.
If you have any information regarding the stolen sculpture, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-275-5273.
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