The crown of Empress Eugenie, whose husband Napoleon III ruled France in the 19th century, was among the treasures stolen by thieves from the Louvre museum last October. It was one of nine priceless items that were recovered after the thieves dropped it as they fled.
The thieves dropped the crown, decorated with eight golden eagles and studded with emeralds and diamonds, on the pavement outside the museum. A few months later, the Louvre released a photo to show how badly damaged it was in the fall.
Some of the diamonds have fallen out completely, while others have been repositioned, the tip is crushed on one side, and one of the gold eagles is missing.
The Louvre's media relations department announced along with the release of the photo that it will soon invite restorers to submit bids for the crown's repair, and the decision will be made by a team of experts.
The museum's artistic director, Olivier Gabet, said they still don't know how much the restoration might cost, but they assume it won't be less than 40 euros. Given that almost all of the crown's parts have been found, the price refers to the hours of delicate repair work, he added.
The Crown of Empress Eugenie is one of the few pieces of its kind that originated in France and is still owned by the state. Many were stolen after the French Revolution, and the rest were found at auction. This crown has been on display at the museum since 1988. The crown belonged to Napoleon III, Napoleon's nephew, and his wife, and according to the Louvre, it contains 1354 diamonds, 1136 rose-cut diamonds, and 56 emeralds.
The world's largest and most visited museum was robbed in less than 30 minutes, and objects were taken from the Apollo Gallery, which has since been closed to visitors.
More than a hundred police officers were involved in the investigation into the robbery, but apart from the aforementioned crown, no other objects were found, and the French Minister of Culture hired foreign experts to determine the museum's shortcomings. MZ
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