Five of seven valuable 18th-century snuffboxes stolen from Paris’s Cognacq-Jay Museum in November 2024 have been recovered. Paris Musées announced the return, crediting a police investigation with assistance from the Paris Criminal Investigation Department. The boxes were taken by masked thieves during a daylight robbery from the exhibition “Pocket Luxury.” Two of the recovered boxes were on loan from the Louvre, two from the British royal family’s Royal Collection Trust, and one from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Two more boxes, one from the V&A and one from the Royal Collection, remain missing. The stolen items, decorated with gold, precious stones, mother-of-pearl, or enamel, are estimated to be worth at least €1 million ($1.16 million).
This recovery matters because it highlights the vulnerability of museum collections to theft and the importance of international cooperation in art crime investigations. The snuffboxes are not only financially valuable but also hold significant historical and heritage value, representing 18th-century craftsmanship and the legacy of collector Ernest Cognacq. The incident also underscores the risks museums face when displaying high-value loaned objects from major institutions like the Louvre, the Royal Collection Trust, and the V&A. The ongoing search for the two missing boxes keeps the case active and reminds the art world of the persistent challenges in securing cultural heritage.