Three Chinese porcelain pieces stolen from a French museum, estimated at 86 million yuan, all from Jingdezhen
A burglary occurred at the Musée national Adrien Dubouché in Limoges, France, early Thursday morning (local time on the 4th). Three Chinese porcelain pieces, classified as “national treasures,” were stolen. Preliminary estimates put the stolen items at approximately €9.5 million (approximately HK$86 million). The case has shocked the French cultural and art community.
Agence France-Presse reported that the robbery occurred around 3 a.m. Thursday. The thieves broke into the museum through a window on the facade. They moved swiftly and precisely, targeting only three top-tier works. The thieves triggered the alarm system. Local prosecutor Abrantes revealed that police later arrived, but the suspects had already fled the scene. The entire incident resembled the plot of the 1991 Hong Kong film “A Chinese Odyssey,” starring Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung. One scene in the film depicts Chow Yun-fat and Leslie Cheung stealing famous paintings from a French auction house.
The three stolen cultural relics are: two large Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain plates from the 14th and 15th centuries, and an 18th-century Chinese vase, which also came from the Jingdezhen kiln. They are hailed as one of the representative works in the context of Sino-Western exchanges at that time and are fine porcelains that flowed into France through trade.
The three porcelain pieces, designated as “national treasures” by the French government and prohibited from export, were valued at over €6.5 million by insurance. The museum initially reported losses to police at €9.5 million.