On July 8, a surprising case was entrusted to Parisian police investigators.
The Army Museum, at the Invalides, has filed a complaint for theft of works of art.
Among the 500,000 pieces of this establishment, it seems that two 19th century German cannons, five paintings, a clock and a medal have vanished.
"Parts Not Seen"
The Krupp guns, 1.20 meters long and weighing around 100 kilos each, had been stored since 1965 in a yard closed to the public.
But, during an inventory carried out by the museum, it was impossible to get my hands on it.
"
It is absolutely not a theft
," said Ariane James-Sarazzin, deputy director of the Army Museum, with great caution.
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Since when did these objects disappear?
The Army Museum has no idea.
For the moment, its managers prefer to speak of
“parts not seen”
.
"Insofar as the people in the administrations change, it is a safe bet that these guns have not disappeared, but that they have been moved without the Army museum having been informed"
, specifies Ariane James-Sarazzin, to our colleagues from France Info.
For the other objects, the mystery is the same.
Last I heard, they were on display in the private residence of the military governor of Paris.
Deposited between 1944 and 1970, they were lent to be seen, but since then the museum has lost track of them.
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The Commission for the inventory of State art deposits estimates that more than 60,000 works have disappeared, leading to tens of thousands of complaints and the trial of senior officials who sometimes confuse the interests of the State with their own. ...