About 2,000. Such is the staggering number of priceless works stolen from the collections of the British Museum in London, which houses one of the largest collections in the world – between 7 and 8 million pieces, including the Rosetta stone which made it possible to decipher the hieroglyphs.
A scandal that just this Friday, August 25, has led to the resignation of the museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer. But behind the scenes, the institution founded in 1753 seemed to have known about the thefts for several years… Let’s take stock.
Gold jewelry, precious stones and glassware…not inventoried
The atrocities happened in the shadow of the museum’s reserves for the six million visitors a year. Gold jewellery, semi-precious stones, glassware from the 15th century BC. … The – small – pieces in question suffered from a lack of inventory, making them easier to steal and more difficult to track down on the black market.
The thefts would have gone on for years and some parts would have been sold…on eBay! For reassurance, the museum assured that these are pieces that have not been on display recently and are being used primarily for research purposes. Some of the pieces were reportedly found by the museum, but it could take “decades” according to The Guardian.
Who committed the thefts?
Suspicion quickly fell on someone at the museum who was well aware of the institution’s shortcomings. “Someone who knows what’s not being recorded has an advantage,” explained George Osborne, the president of the “museum”, and also looked at the museum “The already ongoing process to create a complete inventory needs to be accelerated.”
The British Museum announced the dismissal of a staff member on August 16. But amazingly, the man in question, Peter Higgs, is a world-renowned curator who was recently appointed director of Greek sculpture. A very delicate contribution given that the sculptures of the Parthenon in particular are the subject of a transfer of arms with Athens, which claims restitution.
According to information from the British newspaper The Guardian, suspicions weighed on the curator even before his promotion. He officially denies any responsibility for these thefts.
The museum has been providing information since 2021
The trigger for the most recent act of the scandal, the resignation of museum director Hartwig Fischer, was that the museum had been warned of possible theft after revelations by the BBC in 2021. A gem dealer reportedly advised the institution in letters consulted by the BBC that several stones were for sale on eBay. According to The Guardian, the collector could have bid for almost 70 pieces on the auction site.
But the museum’s then-deputy director, Jonathan Williams, asserted that he had found nothing “No trace of embezzlement”. The police were only alerted in 2022 and an inspection commissioned by Hartwig Fischer.
The affair has been making headlines in the British press since August 16, and the director finally resigned on Friday. The man, who has been in office since 2016, admitted this “failed” heed the hazard warnings. “The responsibility for this failure lies with the director”, he said. Deputy Director Jonathan Williams has since decided to retire from his duties pending the conclusion of the investigation. So far, the police have not filed any charges.