Cellini's Saliera recovered

Great news from Austria:

A THREE-YEAR hunt for a stolen £37m Renaissance salt cellar dubbed the “Mona Lisa of sculptures” came to an end yesterday when the suspected thief led Austrian police to his buried treasure.

The world’s most expensive salt cellar, called the Saliera and crafted by Benvenuto Cellini between 1540 and 1543, was found undamaged in a wooden case in a forest outside Zwettl, the suspect’s home town 55 miles north of Vienna. Police did not identify the man, who was still being questioned. The Austrian media said he was a self-employed contractor.

The Independent notes:

On Friday, officials said police had recovered the trident, which had been separated from the main sculpture.

ADDENDUM: This in the Guardian:

The head of Vienna's criminal police described how he got the saltcellar back. The suspect "was a funny guy," he said. "He had collected sculptures in his youth and had a feeling for them," Ernst Geiger told the Guardian. "He also ran an alarm firm and was an expert in alarm systems. He knew exactly how to steal it. He told us afterwards it [the theft] was all rather spontaneous."

Apparently the thief didn't realize what he had until afterwards, from the news reports.

Posted by David on January 21, 2006 11:26 PM