More on the Hermitage thefts

Not surprisingly, the original reports of the value of the missing artworks were on the low side:

The museum estimates the value of the 221 objects at $5 million, but art experts who have seen the full list told the newspaper Izvestia that the market value was 20 times that.

Meanwhile, at least one of the missing items has turned up:

A religious icon that was among more than 220 items stolen from the Hermitage Museum has been found in a rubbish bin in St Petersburgh.

Police said an anonymous phone call led them to the wooden object, known to some as the Church of the All Saints, which was recovered from a bin outside their office.

Inventory control at the Hermitage does not seem very tight:

Police have said that theft could have taken place at any time in the last 30 years

The NY Times reports:

In an article posted on its Web site, the daily newspaper Izvestia provided what it described as a list of the missing items, including gold-plated silver cups from the 18th and 19th centuries, silver and gold crosses, and dozens of icons encased in silver and gold. It did not give a source for its information but said some of the items had been gifts to Czar Nicholas II.

Posted by David on August 3, 2006 3:30 PM