Two of the 27 pieces of jewelry stolen from the Musée Lalique are René Lalique’s “Femme-libellule ailes ouvertes” pendant (right), which depicts a sylph with a mermaid-like tail crafted in gold and diamonds with plique-à-jour enamel wings, and the “Pensées” (pansies) brooch crafted in gold, diamonds, enamel, and glass. (Pendant photo credit: Studio Y. Langlois - Musée Lalique/Brooch photo credit: Studio Y. Langlois – Coll. Lalique SA)
Wingen-sur-Moder, France—Officials from France’s Musée Lalique have released more details about the $5 million smash-and-grab theft that took place over the weekend, including a list of the jewelry and other objects stolen in the heist.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the museum said one of the key works taken from its 650-piece collection was the “Femme-libellule ailes ouvertes,” or “Woman Dragonfly With Open Wings,” pendant designed and crafted by René Lalique between 1898 and 1900.
The museum said the gold, diamond and enamel pendant, pictured above, was “highly symbolic” because it was the first piece acquired when the idea of opening a museum dedicated to Lalique was proposed.
“The team therefore was particularly attached to it and hopes that it can one day be found,” the museum stated in an Instagram post.
“It was notably the central figure in one of our visits for very young children.”
In addition to the dragonfly pendant, the museum said the thieves stole various brooches, necklaces, and pendants; two bracelets; a choker; a long necklace; a bust; a perfume bottle; a comb; a hatpin; a belt buckle; and a face-à-main (a pair of vintage, handheld glasses).
Altogether, they made off with 27 pieces of jewelry worth an estimated €4.5 million, or about $5.1 million.
The heist comes less than a year after jewel thieves targeted another French museum, the famed Louvre in Paris.
The Musée Lalique said members of its team have provided descriptions of all the stolen pieces to the relevant authorities to assist with the investigation, which is ongoing, noting that the real value of Lalique’s pieces lies in their artistry, not in their components.
“René Lalique’s jewelry is renowned for its artistic value rather than the materials used. Indeed, the artist particularly enjoyed using enamel, horn and glass in his creations.
“Once the jewelry has been dismantled, the value of the materials pales in comparison to its artistic value.”
As of Wednesday, the museum remained closed to the public.
This photo provided by Musée Lalique shows the entrance to the area housing its permanent collections. The museum is in Wingen-sur-Moder, a town in northeastern France that is also home to the Lalique SA glass factory. (Photo credit: D. Desaleux - Musée Lalique)
The heist at the Musée Lalique took place on Sunday in the early morning hours.
The museum said several individuals forced their way inside and smashed display cases containing jewelry.
The heist took about 10 minutes and triggered the museum’s security systems, though the theft reportedly was not discovered until later in the morning when a woman who is part of the museum’s janitorial staff arrived at work.
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The Musée Lalique is dedicated to the work of Lalique (1860-1945), a jewelry designer, artist, and glassmaker who was one of the central figures in the Art Nouveau movement.
He is best known for his sensual and ethereal jewelry, glass and crystal vases, perfume bottles, and stained-glass windows, all of which remain popular with collectors today.
In 2021, Sotheby’s put a collection of 39 Lalique pieces owned by a single collector up for auction in Paris. They all sold, garnering a total of nearly $2 million.
The Musée Lalique is in Wingen-sur-Moder, France, a town about 60 miles northwest of Strasbourg, a city on the French-German border.
Lalique opened a glass factory in Wingen-sur-Moder in 1922 that remains in operation today; it is the sole manufacturing site for Lalique SA.
The Strasbourg Criminal Investigation Department is leading the investigation into the theft.
