The jewels of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte (1820-1904) were stolen overnight from Saturday to Sunday at the Hébert museum in La Tronche, near Grenoble.
"The first estimate would be 110,000 euros
," the prosecution said in a statement.
According to a source close to the case, the package was discovered in the early morning, shortly after five o'clock, when the building's alarm went off.
"Museum staff arrived on site and put two individuals to flight
," she added.
Éric Vaillant, the public prosecutor of Grenoble explains that
"the thieves used a ladder and broke the shutter of the room where the jewelry was"
, specifying that the investigation was entrusted to the judicial police.
At first, he also indicated that the jewels of Mathilde Bonaparte, one of the nieces of Napoleon 1st, were
"property of the Fondation de France and lent by the Musée d'Orsay"
but the latter denied to AFP to be involved in this loan.
The deposit was made by the Fondation de France, he said.
Read alsoThe biggest jewelry thefts in France for ten years
“We are at the disposal of justice and investigators and we regret this attack on cultural heritage”
, reacted for his part on Sunday a spokesperson for the Hébert museum, questioned by AFP.
According to the latter, who did not wish to give more details, the stolen jewels were part of a permanent exhibition at the Isère museum.
Opened in 1979, the Hébert museum is located in the summer house of the painter Ernest Hébert (1817-1908) in a park of more than two hectares.
Exhibiting the artist's work, its collections are also enriched with deposits from national museums, in particular the Louvre museum, the museums of Marseilles and Grenoble, according to the museum's website.