British Museum appeals to find hundreds of stolen objects

The British Museum published photos online on Tuesday of objects resembling some of the hundreds of pieces stolen from its collections and appealed to the public to help find them.

“Around 2,000” objects have been stolen from the collections of the prestigious British cultural institution in recent years, according to its president George Osborne, a discovery with the appearance of an explosion which led to the resignation of its director, Hartwig Fischer, this summer. The stolen pieces are small objects not on display and which were kept in the museum's reserves.

The “vast majority” were part of the department of Greece and Rome, says the British Museum. They are mainly jewelry, semi-precious stones and glassware, but, on the advice of experts, the museum does not identify or describe them precisely.

Also read “Around 2000” pieces stolen from the British Museum, some already recovered

To find them, the institution posted photos online on Tuesday of similar objects, still present in its collections, such as a gold bracelet, an engraved ring or even a necklace decorated with clasps in the shape of lion heads. And he asks anyone who “believes they are or have been in possession of objects belonging to the British Museum, or who may have any information” that could help them, to contact the institution.

So far, “60 objects have been recovered, and 300 others identified and should be returned shortly,” the museum said in a statement. He also indicates having registered the stolen objects on the Register of Lost Works of Art, an international database used by people working in the art world, collectors, insurers, and even the police forces.

The institution indicated in mid-August that it had dismissed an employee, while the London police said they had questioned a man, without naming him, but had not launched any prosecution as of yet.