Legendary lost treasures that could be found
MARCEL METTELSIEFEN/DPA/AFP via Getty Images
Fabled treasures that could still be found
From a 220-pound gold coin to the Crown Jewels of Ireland to the lost Imperial Fabergé eggs to Wild West gold, loads of amazing treasures remain missing. Click or scroll through some of the most iconic lost, stolen or simply hidden valuables that treasure hunters continue to pursue in 2021. All dollar values in US dollars.
Jewish Museum/Public domain
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant is considered one of the most sacred objects in the Bible, built by the Israelites around 3,000 years ago to house the stone tablets that the Ten Commandments were written on. It is linked to numerous miracles in the Old Testament, and interpretations of what the golden chest may look like can be found across biblical artwork, such as in The Ark Passes Over the Jordan, which was painted by James Tissot in 1902 (pictured).
Chris Bradley/Zuma Press/PA Images
Ark of the Covenant
But when the Babylonian Empire defeated the Israelites in the 6th century BC, all mention of the Ark disappeared. What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant remains a mystery, but there are hopes that it has simply remained well-hidden all these years. There are whisperings that the Ark could be concealed within the St Mary of Zion Cathedral in Ethiopia (pictured) but it has never been seen or confirmed by experts. Or that it was buried under the First Temple in Jerusalem, which is where the sacred Dome of the Rock shrine lies today, making digging to look for it impossible. However, the chest may have been stolen or, worse, destroyed.
alionabirukova/Shutterstock
Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure
Known as the richest temple in the world, Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, India houses several underground vaults filled with unbelievable treasures. In 2011, when one of the secret chambers was finally opened after centuries, gold jewellery, ornaments, crowns and precious stones estimated to be worth $22 billion (£18.2bn) were found. Overall the temple could hide treasures worth up to $1 trillion (£830bn), researchers believe.
gordontour/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Padmanabhaswamy Temple treasure
There's a problem though. Nobody will dare open the remaining vaults. According to an ancient legend, the treasure is protected by two giant serpents and anyone who opens the doors will be cursed.
Francisco Rodrigues [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Flor de la Mar
A number of lucrative shipwrecks have been discovered of late, including the famed San José Spanish Treasure Galleon, but the Flor de la Mar, which was lost off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in November 1511, is still out there.
Iakov Filimonov/Shutterstock
Flor de la Mar
The 400-tonne Portuguese vessel was laden with lavish treasures, including gold goblets, precious jewels and vast amounts of gold bullion worth $2.6 billion (£2bn) in today's money. But for now they remain lost to the sea.
Lupo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Treasure of the Llanganates
In 1532, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca in modern-day Peru. The emperor promised to fill an entire room with gold and another with silver to secure his release, but before the precious metals could be delivered, the Spanish murdered their captive.
Treasure of the Llanganates
According to legend, Inca general Rumiñahu, who was transporting the gold and silver, buried the stash in a cave or dumped it in a lake in Ecuador's Llanganates Mountains. Archaeologists are divided as to whether the hoard is still out there, but that hasn't stopped adventurer after adventurer trying their luck. Could 2021 be the year it's found? Time will tell.
Kostyantyn Ivanyshen/Shutterstock
San Miguel
Another lost shipwreck, the San Miguel Spanish Treasure Galleon is yet to be located. The ship was destroyed in a hurricane on 29 April 1551 off the coast of Santo Domingo in what is now the Dominican Republic. It is thought to have been carrying cargo valued at $2 billion (£1.6bn).
San Miguel
Shipwreck hunters have been looking for the San Miguel for centuries yet the wreck remains undiscovered. The search in the seas around the Dominican Republic is ongoing however, so there's a chance that the treasure-laden vessel could be found.
Merchant Royal
The anchor from what is thought to be the most valuable shipwreck ever was found off the coast of Cornwall, England in March 2019, giving treasure hunters a hint to where its load – worth more than $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) – might be.
Robert Salmon [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Merchant Royal
When the Merchant Royal sank after hitting bad weather in 1641, reportedly near the Isles of Scilly, it took 100,000 pounds of gold, 400 bars of Mexican silver and some 500,000 coins down with it. Treasure hunters need to be well equipped though if they want to find the lost wreck in the Cornish sea. The water is up to 300 feet deep and the weather can be stormy.
Oak Island Money Pit Treasure
This fabled treasure, which is said to be buried in the booby-trapped 'money pit' on Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada has thwarted adventurers for three centuries, and has been the subject of a History Channel TV show, which has recently entered its eighth season.
Oak Island Money Pit Treasure
The show's treasure hunters hit the jackpot in early 2018 when they unearthed actual treasure on the site: a gemstone-studded brooch. Gold has since been discovered on the island, increasing the probability of further discoveries. If the theories are to be believed, everything from millions in cash to Shakespeare's lost folios, Queen Marie Antoinette of France's jewels and even the Holy Grail are buried on the island.
Library of Congress/Wikimedia Common
Blackbeard’s treasure
Edward Teach, better known as famed pirate Blackbeard, spent years terrorising the Caribbean in the early 18th century, looting and pillaging vessel after vessel from his flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Blackbeard stole everything from gold bars to precious jewellery likely worth millions in today’s money. It is believed that this real-life pirate of the Caribbean stashed his booty on surrounding islands and parts of North Carolina.
Blackbeard’s treasure
Some of the pirate’s thieved goods surfaced in 1996 when his shipwreck was excavated, and among the treasures was a diamond-encrusted wine glass stem adorned with gold crowns. Treasure hunters weren’t satisfied with the find however, and many believe that most of the riches are still out there somewhere, scattered across Blackbeard’s various stomping grounds. Blackbeard’s Castle on the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas (pictured) and Plum Point in North Carolina have been named as possible hiding spots.
Luiji de Guzman/Flickr CC
Mosby’s Stolen Civil War Treasure
The American Civil War saw countless treasures stolen, and millions of dollars’ worth is believed to be lost to this day. One particularly ambitious thief, Confederate ranger John Singleton Mosby, gathered a team of accomplices and together they launched a night raid on the Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia in 1863. Inside the building they found a sack of gold, silver and jewels belonging to the county’s most prominent families, and the audacious crew made off with the bag of treasure, which is believed to have a value of $6 million (£4.7m) in today’s money.
Berean Hunter/Wikimedia Commons
Mosby’s Stolen Civil War Treasure
As the gang escaped back to the Confederate lines, Mosby (pictured) decided that burying the treasure was the best way to avoid being captured by Union soldiers, who would then undoubtedly confiscate the sack of jewels. A couple of months later Mosby sent some of his men back to retrieve the treasure, but they were caught and hanged by soldiers. The frontman of the operation never made it back to his loot, and the stash is still buried there today.
Looted Civil War Confederate Gold
More Civil War treasure that went astray – this time in the form of a box car stuffed with gold bullions worth upwards of $140 million (£109m). The heap of precious metal is believed to be sitting somewhere at the bottom of northern Lake Michigan. Union soldiers had swiped the gold from Confederate President Jefferson Davis in 1865 after being captured and imprisoned in Virginia, according to a History Channel documentary following two treasure hunters on the lookout for the booty.
Looted Civil War Confederate Gold
The two keen treasure hunters, Kevin Dykstra and Frederick J. Monroe, have been piecing together the mystery based on a deathbed confession from a local lighthouse keeper in 1921. He claimed that the bullions had been stashed onto a train boxcar and smuggled north, in the direction of Lake Michigan. It was then loaded onto a ferry, but for unknown reasons it was thrown overboard. Dykstra and Monroe claimed to have found one of the many gold bars, but their find is unconfirmed. If the story is true, there's gold aplenty still waiting to be found.
Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Jesse James’ gold
Wild West outlaw Jesse James made a name for himself in the 19th century as a prolific bank and train robber across the Midwest. James is believed to have buried at least one of his hoards, which is thought to be worth around $3 million (£2.3m) in today’s money, somewhere in Canada. Legend has it the robber and his band of accomplices were on the run from the US police after looting a Wells Fargo train in 1870, and decided to flee north to avoid capture.
Michael/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0
Jesse James’ gold
The treasure is believed to be buried near Mulmur, Ontario (pictured), which is around two hours away from Princeton, where James allegedly built a home. An Englishman called Tom Vickers visited the site in 1958 and said: "If the boys [James’ gang] were ever here and wanted a place to hide the gold, this spot is just about perfect." It remains unknown as to whether the gold was ever recovered.
Flagstaff outlaws’ loot
Wells Fargo’s treasures fell into the hands of criminals yet again on 10 May 1881, when a stagecoach full of silver and gold bars was looted in the mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona. The value of the hoard is believed to be more than $3 million (£2.3m) in today’s money. One of the bank’s employees is rumoured to have tipped off the crooks, allowing them to find the vehicle as it travelled to a branch in San Francisco. Local sheriffs and army cavalry chased the bandits to a remote cabin in the mountains, and a frenzied shootout followed.
Netfalls/Remy Musser/Shutterstock
Flagstaff outlaws’ loot
None of the robbers made it out of the cabin alive, but curiously there was no gold or silver to be found in the building or surrounding area. The cabin owner is believed to have spent 30 years looking for the treasure. In 1913, a local character called Short Jimmy McGuire claimed to have found several gold coins, but he suddenly died of a heart attack before sharing the location, leaving the treasure’s hiding place a mystery…
Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
America's most famous lost mine, the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine is said to be located somewhere in Arizona's rugged Superstition Mountains. The mine is named after 19th-century immigrant Jacob Waltz, who reportedly left gold there worth around $200 million (£155m) in today's money.
Tony the Marine/Flickr CC
Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
An estimated 500 adventurers have died looking for the mythical treasure, making the search for Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine the most dangerous treasure hunt in the world. Here's hoping the treasure is found soon, so the deadly search can be called off once and for all.
Boasson and Eggler St. Petersburg Nevsky 24. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Lost Imperial Fabergé eggs
The ultimate Easter egg hunt, seven of the 50 Fabergé eggs that were crafted for the Russian Imperial family during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were lost and are out there waiting to be discovered, assuming they haven't been broken up or melted down.
AnonymousUnknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Lost Imperial Fabergé eggs
The lost eggs include the 1888 Cherub with Chariot, the Nécessaire from 1889 and the 1903 Royal Danish (pictured), each of which are worth around $30 million (£23.4m). The Third Imperial Egg turned up in 2012 at a jumble sale in the American Midwest of all places, so there's every chance more could be found.
Bernabe/Blanco Shutterstock
Crown Jewels of Ireland
The Irish Crown Jewels were stolen in 1907 from a safe in Dublin Castle. The jewels, which include a gemstone-encrusted star and badge of the Order of St Patrick, have never been located, though they are thought to be buried somewhere in the Wicklow Mountains.
Dublin Police (Life time: 1907) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Crown Jewels of Ireland
Police have used metal detectors to search for the $20 million (£15.7m) jewels at several sites in the Wicklow Mountains, but the luck of the Irish hasn't been on their side. It's illegal for civilians to metal detect for historical items in Ireland, making it almost impossible for the average person to find this lost treasure, so hope is pinned on the authorities.
Jan van Eyck/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Van Eyck’s The Just Judges Panel
Hubert and Jan van Eyck’s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb has been described as the “most stolen artwork of all time”, after disappearing multiple times since its conception in the 15th century. First the 12-panel piece was nearly burned by the Calvinists, then it was stolen by Napoleon, and then taken yet again during World War I. The panel, depicting the so-called Just Judges, was stolen from the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium in April 1934, and more than 85 years later its whereabouts remains unknown.
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images
Van Eyck’s The Just Judges Panel
The other 11 panels have since returned to the Belgian cathedral, having been stolen yet again during World War II. The suspected thief of the remaining panel, Arsène Goedertier, was denied the one million Belgian francs he asked for in ransom money, and refused to reveal where he had hidden the artwork even as he lay on his deathbed. The latest update in the case is that experts believe the painting could lie beneath one of the major squares in Ghent, but the location hasn’t been investigated further as authorities are reluctant to dig up the paving stones. Until they change their minds, the disappearance of the Just Judges panel remains a mystery.
Raphael/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man
This portrait by Raphael is widely regarded to be the most important painting to have gone missing since World War II. Painted in 1513-14, Portrait of a Young Man was stolen from the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland by the Nazis in 1939. The Third Reich plundered an estimated 20% of European art during the war, and much of it remains missing today.
Bundesarchiv Bild/Wikimedia Commons
Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man
The oil painting is believed to have a staggering value of more than $100 million (£77.5m) in today’s money and was stolen so that it could decorate Hitler’s residence in Berlin. The masterpiece was then appropriated by Gestapo official Hans Frank (pictured), the then Nazi Governor-General of Poland, for his villa in Neuhaus, Germany. The painting disappeared in transit between Poland and Germany, and has not been seen since the end of World War II.
Rembrandt van Rijn/PD-1923
Rembrandt’s An Angel with Titus’ Features
Another artwork swiped by the Nazis is An Angel with Titus’ Features by Rembrandt, which depicts the Dutch master’s son. The painting had been kept in a chateau in the French countryside, but was stolen during the invasion in 1943. Soldiers took the piece to Paris, where it was set aside to be installed in Hitler’s Führermuseum.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1990-073-26 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Rembrandt’s An Angel with Titus’ Features
Despite having failed to become an artist himself, Hitler fancied himself as a critic and collector, and hoped to establish the Führermuseum in Linz, Austria, where he had spent his childhood. The collection would have exhibited around 300 treasures stolen by the Third Reich, and it was designed to look like the House of German Art (pictured), which he did manage to establish in Munich. More than 160 pieces of artwork have been recovered since then, but Rembrandt’s portrait remains missing.
Courtesy Monuments Men Foundation
Michelangelo’s Head of Faun
This sculpture was the first known to have been created by Renaissance master Michelangelo, and it dates back to around 1489. The painter famous for decorating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is believed to have created this marble artwork when he was just 15 or 16 years old, and it won him the patronage of the powerful Florentine leader Lorenzo de’ Medici.
Simone Bottone/Shutterstock
Michelangelo’s Head of Faun
The priceless sculpture was displayed in the Bargello Museum (pictured) in Florence until 1944, when its collection was plundered by the Nazis. Some experts have suggested that the sculpture could have found its way to the Soviet Union, but as with many pieces stolen during World War II, it remains lost.
Chmee2 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Nazi Gold Train
Local rumour has it that a Nazi train loaded with tons of pillaged valuables was buried in the Project Riese complex of tunnels near Walbrzych in Poland in January 1945, as World War II was coming to an end. The stash, if it exists, would be worth billions of dollars in today's money.
Natalia Dobryszycka/AFP/Getty
Nazi Gold Train
The train, which may even contain the lost Amber Room, has inspired numerous searches but its whereabouts, and even its very existence, remain shrouded in mystery. Be that as it may, hunts for the treasure continue.
Андрей Андреевич Зеест [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Amber Room
Regarded as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World', the breathtaking Amber Room at the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg was created for Frederick, the first King in Prussia, in the early 18th century. An opulent chamber of exquisite amber panels backed with gold leaf and ornate mirrors, the Amber Room disappeared towards the end of World War II.
Oleg Nikishin/Newsmakers/Getty
Amber Room
Theories abound as to its whereabouts, but the spectacular treasure has never been located. The most recent news on the treasure is that the dismantled panelling could be lying among a Nazi shipwreck discovered off the coast of Poland. Thankfully, experts were able to create an exact replica of the Amber Room in 2004 using original drawings and old photos.
Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Lake Toplitz treasure
About 40 miles southeast of Salzburg, Austria lies a lake surrounded by mystery. As the end of World War II came to a close, and US troops were closing in, a group of Nazis dumped several boxes in Lake Toplitz, which was part of a Nazi naval base at the time. There has been much speculation as to what may be in the boxes, from gold looted from across Europe to documents showing where items taken from Jewish people during the war had been held. If stories are to be believed, as much as $5.6 billion (£4.2bn)-worth of stolen gold could be lying in Lake Toplitz. But many people still question whether other treasures could be hidden within the lake’s murky waters.
Lake Toplitz treasure
However, at least seven divers have lost their lives in perilous attempts to retrieve the supposed treasure from the ice-cold, 300-foot deep lake. In 2005, Bundesforste AG, the Austrian state company in charge of the lake, agreed that American treasure hunter Norman Scott could dive in the lake, in the hope of finally solving the mystery, but he found nothing.
Unknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Patiala Necklace
Cartier crafted this opulent necklace in 1928 for Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, the then Maharaja of the state of Patiala in India. Dripping with 2,930 diamonds, the necklace contained the 428-carat De Beers diamond, the seventh largest in the world, which would be worth $30 million (£23.5m) in today's money.
Patiala Necklace
The stunning piece of jewellery went missing from the royal treasury of Patiala in 1948, and while parts of the necklace have been found, including the De Beers diamond, which has enabled Cartier to recreate the piece, the Burmese rubies and scores of diamonds remain missing.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Caravaggio’s Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
This 1609 painting by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio hung above the altar of the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, Italy for more than 300 years. One stormy night in October 1969, the Sicilian Mafia is believed to have cut the nativity scene from its frame, likely because it has an estimated value of an incredible $20 million (£15.5m), and so the painting vanished…
Amrita/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Caravaggio’s Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence has since been dubbed one of the FBI’s most wanted stolen artworks, as it still hasn’t been recovered. A replica was commissioned to fill the empty frame in 2015 (pictured), while detectives continue to look for the missing masterpiece. The most recent development in the investigation is that the Mafia sliced off a piece of the painting to try and convince the Catholic Church to cut a deal for its return, as reported by the Guardian. Police are also investigating claims that the Mafia has been in touch with an art dealer in Switzerland.
Vincent van Gogh [Public domain] Wikimedia Commons
Van Gogh's Poppy Flowers
Valued at a hefty $55 million (£43m), this depiction of yellow and red poppies, which was painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1887, has been stolen twice. In 1977, it was nabbed from Cairo's Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum but recovered 10 years later in Kuwait.
Van Gogh's Poppy Flowers
The painting was taken a second time in August 2010 and is yet to be located. Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris (pictured) has offered a reward of $175,000 (£137k) for information leading to its recovery, so the artwork could very well be tracked down in the not too distant future, given the financial incentive.
Federal Bureau of Investigation [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Vermeer's The Concert
The most valuable stolen painting ever, Johannes Vermeer's The Concert, which dates from 1664, was swiped along with Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and 10 other important works of art during the infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft in Boston in March 1990.
Johannes Vermeer [Public domain] Wikimedia Commons
Vermeer's The Concert
Worth a whopping $200 million (£156m), the painting was offered for sale in Philadelphia in the early 2000s by an organised crime syndicate but the FBI still hasn't been able to locate it, and allegations that the artwork was eventually shipped to the IRA by Boston's Winter Hill gang have recently surfaced.
Russborough House Hoard
Known simply as “The General” during his heyday in Ireland’s underground criminal world, Martin Cahill orchestrated a heist at Russborough House in Ireland (pictured). Among the stolen paintings were artworks by Vermeer, Vestier, and Venetian scenes by Guardi. Eight of the stolen paintings were recovered in rented cars in 1993, but the Guardi works remain hidden.
Chris Bacon/PA Archive/PA Images
Russborough House Hoard
Cahill’s criminal exploits led to his murder in 1994, and he is said to have taken details of the paintings’ hiding spot to the grave. Among the pieces that were eventually found is this Pietro de Francesco Degli Orioli painting, which was auctioned off in 1999. Guardi’s scenes are believed to be buried somewhere in the Dublin Woods, near Killakee, but art detectives haven't yet found their exact location.
Paul Cézanne/Public domain/wikimedia Commons
Cézanne's View of Auvers-sur-Oise
While the world rang in the new millennium with fireworks and celebrations, a thief took advantage of the distraction and broke into the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England to steal View of Auvers-sur-Oise, a landscape painting by Paul Cézanne. The artwork has a value of $3.9 million (£3m), and has now been lost for the last 20 years.
Patchamol Jensatienwong/Shutterstock
Cézanne's View of Auvers-sur-Oise
It’s clear from the heist's set-up that this wasn't an amateur burglary. Investigators found that the thief had cut a hole in the roof of the museum, the noise of which had been covered by the New Year's Eve fireworks, and used a rope ladder to climb into the art gallery. In true crime movie fashion, they then let off a canister to create a smokescreen to obscure their work from security cameras before leaving with the painting back up the ladder. The robbery took just 10 minutes. Authorities thought they had uncovered the stolen artwork a few months later in a pub in central England, but it turned out to just be a copy.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
Charles Darwin's missing notebooks
Charles Darwin is revered for his groundbreaking work in developing the Theory of Evolution. More than 150 years later and much of his work is stored in archive libraries at the University of Cambridge, England – or it was, until two of his most important notebooks vanished.
Mario Tama/Staff/Getty Images
Charles Darwin's missing notebooks
Staff at the university had removed the notebooks, one of which contains Darwin’s famous Tree of Life sketch (pictured), for photographing in 2000, and they haven’t been seen since. It is suspected that the notebooks were stolen. The university is desperate to retrieve the books that have now been lost for two decades, not only because of their tremendous historical and scientific value, but also because they are worth many millions of pounds.
Pablo Picasso/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Picasso’s Le Pigeon aux Petits-Pois
This Picasso painting was one of a collection of masterpieces stolen from the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 2010, along with a Matisse and a Braque. Together, the paintings had a value of around $123 million (£95m).
BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images
Picasso’s Le Pigeon aux Petits-Pois
A culprit was arrested in 2011 and he said that he had thrown the extraordinarily valuable paintings into a rubbish container out of panic. The police weren’t convinced by the story and haven’t given up hope that the canvases are still out there somewhere…
MARCEL METTELSIEFEN/DPA/AFP via Getty Images
220-pound ‘Big Maple Leaf’ gold coin
The Big Maple Leaf is a set of six gold coins, each weighing 220 pounds. One of the coins was stolen from the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany on 27 March 2017, and it was quite the heist. Three thieves broke in through a window and proceeded to roll the coin, which is similar in size to a car tyre, through the museum on a skateboard, across rail tracks using a wheelbarrow and rope, and into a getaway car.
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
220-pound ‘Big Maple Leaf’ gold coin
In the months after the heist, German police were able to arrest three men from a family linked to organised crime, as well as an employee from the museum who had advised the thieves on the building’s safety precautions. The trial ended in February 2020, with the robbers receiving jail sentences, but the giant coin remains lost. There are suspicions that it may have been melted down, as gold dust was found on the criminals’ car and clothing, but it is still possible that it could turn up in the future.
Blenheim Palace’s gold toilet
Artwork and gold feature heavily in this round-up, but how about a combination of the two in the form of this solid gold toilet? The fully-functioning bathroom art was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan for an installation called America at Blenheim Palace, England and was stolen just days after its grand reveal in September 2019. Many believed the theft was a prank by the artist, who is known for his elaborate stunts, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There is currently a £100,000 ($134k) reward up for grabs for anybody who can return the toilet.
Blenheim Palace’s gold toilet
As of June this year, seven people have been arrested for the crime, but they have all been released under investigation, and the toilet has yet to be found. The removal of the toilet also caused severe damage to the stately home, which was flooded as a result of the theft.
Courtesy Christ Church Picture Gallery
Van Dyck’s A Soldier on Horseback and two other artworks
During the night of 14 March 2020, A Soldier on Horseback, which dates back to 1616, was taken from the Christ Church Picture Gallery at Oxford University, England. The Anthony Van Dyck piece is valued at $1.2 million (£1m) and was stolen along with A Rocky Coast, with Soldiers Studying a Plan, a 1640s piece by Salvator Rosa and Annibale Carraci’s A Boy Drinking, which dates back to 1580.
Courtesy Christ Church Picture Gallery
Van Dyck’s A Soldier on Horseback and two other artworks
Investigations are fully underway as police try to find the paintings, and the security presence has been upped in the area. Police suspect that the thieves may have escaped via boat, and any witnesses to the crime are being urged to get in touch.
Pro Shots Photo Agency/SIPA USA/PA Images
Van Gogh’s Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring
Another world-famous piece of art went astray in March, in the form of Vincent Van Gogh’s Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring. Thieves smashed their way into the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands on 30 March, Van Gogh’s birthday, and disappeared with the painting before the authorities reached the scene.
Vincent van Gogh/Public domain
Van Gogh’s Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring
The painting has an estimated value of €6 million ($7m/£5.5m) and was on loan from the Groninger Museum when it was snatched. The investigation to find the painting is still underway, and renowned art detective Arthur Bland is also on the case.
ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/ANP/AFP/Getty
Frans Hals’ Two Laughing Boys
Staying in the Netherlands, Frans Hals’ Two Laughing Boys was stolen from the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum in Leerdam in the early hours of 27 August. This wasn’t the first time the painting had fallen into the hands of thieves, as it was actually stolen from the same museum back in 1988, and again in 2011. It took three years to track down the painting after it first disappeared, and six months after the burglary in 2011.
ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Frans Hals’ Two Laughing Boys
The painting, which depicts two men laughing over a mug of beer, dates back to 1626 and is estimated to be worth €15 million ($18m/£13.5m). It’s thought that the thieves broke into the small museum through the back door. While police have been able to view CCTV footage, the painting’s location remains a mystery.
Now read about the world's priceless stolen treasures that were sensationally recovered