Mona Lisa, gold toilet and now Louvre’s royal jewels: When heists become art itself

It calls into question Louvre’s security, both electronic and human

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The world’s largest art museum, the Louvre has approximately half a million objects in its collection, with about 30,000 on display, and sees on average 8 million visitors per year.

That's big on any scale, with a lot of people and objects to keep watch over. And Sundays are particularly busy.

In a cleverly conceived operation, four men wearing fluorescent vests pulled up at the Louvre in a flat-decked truck at 9.30 Sunday morning. Quickly setting to work, they raised an extendable ladder to the second storey. Climbing it, they cut through a window, entered the Galerie d’Apollon and, brandishing power tools, helped themselves to nine exquisite objects.

‘The objects taken were France’ royal jewels, formerly belonging to the Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III's wife and arts patron.