In the early hours of Thursday, thieves broke into the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges, France, making off with three porcelain artifacts valued at roughly $11 million. The stolen pieces—two Chinese porcelain dishes from the 14th and 15th centuries and an 18th-century Chinese vase—are all classified as "national treasures," according to museum officials. The heist occurred about 3:15am, when the suspects smashed a window to enter the museum, CBS News reports. Security guards triggered the alarm, prompting a swift police response, but the thieves had already escaped, said Limoges public prosecutor Emilie Abrantes.
The museum, which houses the world's largest public collection of Limoges porcelain, described the dishes as "particularly important." French authorities have launched an investigation into the "aggravated theft of cultural property exhibited in a French museum, committed in a group and with damage to property." According to Paris Match, the stolen pieces, on display as part of a temporary exhibition, had been loaned to the museum by a private individual.
Limoges Mayor Emile Roger Lombertie told reporters the museum's security system functioned as designed, though he suggested it may require additional review. "All the world's major museums have had items stolen at one time or another," he said. Lombertie speculated that collectors may be commissioning such thefts, relying on "high-level criminals" to steal rare artifacts.
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