5 of the world’s most valuable treasures tried to steal from the Louvre and other museums

See images of the jewels stolen from the Louvre museum It was a quiet Sunday morning, October 19, when the unthinkable happened. A group of thieves broke into, in broad daylight, the most visited museum in the world — the Louvre, in Paris, France. They stole royal jewels, of incalculable value and great historical importance. But this was not the first time that some of the world’s most significant treasures disappeared due to security breaches. From a cinematic robbery in Mexico City to a meticulously planned heist at a palace in Germany, here are some of the most daring heists in history. 1. Mexico’s Theft of the Century King Pakal’s jade death mask was one of the archaeological treasures stolen from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City in 1985 Getty Images via BBC On Christmas Eve 1985, while most Mexicans were spending the festivities with their loved ones, two men crawled through a ventilation shaft to break into the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City. They stole more than 100 priceless pre-Columbian artifacts from Mayan and Zapotec culture, including the jade death mask of Mayan king Pakal the Great (603-683). The robbery left authorities baffled. Initially, they were certain that a professional network of art smugglers must be behind the theft. Within 48 hours, authorities reinforced security across the country and monitored any possible trading in international markets. “They stole a piece of our history, non-negotiable and of inestimable anthropological value,” declared Felipe Solís, from the National Institute of Anthropology of Mexico. At that time, it was not yet known that the intellectual authors of the crime were university students Carlos Perches and Ramón Sardina, both 21 years old. They spent more than six months preparing for the robbery, and visited the museum more than 50 times to study the site’s security systems. Just four years later, in June 1989, police found part of the stolen artifacts in Perches’ possession. He tried to sell some to a drug trafficker in Acapulco, Mexico. Perches was arrested, but his accomplice, Sardina, disappeared and has been on the run ever since. Most of the artifacts were returned to the museum. They were displayed in July 1989, in a ceremony led by then Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari. As a result, stricter security measures were implemented and the number of guards increased. 2. The lost treasures of Boston, in the United States FBI press conference in Boston, as part of the investigation into the theft of works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, on March 15, 2013 Getty Images via BBC In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers, in the United States, rang the doorbell at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. They claimed that they responded to a call for disturbance of order and the young museum guards, unaware, allowed them to enter. In a matter of minutes, the institution became a crime scene. The museum guards were tied and gagged in the attic. The thieves acted quickly and took 13 masterpieces in just 81 minutes. It is estimated that US$500 million (around R$2.7 billion, at current exchange rates) worth of works of art were stolen. They included paintings by European masters such as Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Édouard Manet (1832-1883), and the only known marine painting by Rembrandt (1606-1669), Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee (1633). The painting ‘Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee’, by Dutch painter Rembrandt, was one of the works stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, in Boston (USA) Getty Images via BBC The case remains unsolved to this day. The investigation into the robbery continues and the museum is offering US$10 million (approximately R$53.9 million) for any information that leads to the recovery of the works of art. This is the largest reward ever offered by a private institution, according to the museum’s website. Empty frames remain on the gallery walls, like silent witnesses to a mystery that persists to this day. 3. The diamond robbery of Dresden, Germany One of the pieces recovered after the robbery of the Green Vault of Dresden Reuters via BBC In the dark early hours of November 25, 2019, a fire was announced near the castle of Dresden, Germany. As the emergency lights came on and the electricity was cut off, some shadows moved with determination. Within minutes, a group of thieves entered through a window in the historic Green Vault, which guarded the treasure of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). The place housed hundreds of jewels and diamonds of incalculable value. The thieves started the fire as a distraction with an improvised bomb. Then they ripped off the window bars with pliers. Their goal was to take 21 pieces of royal treasure from the 18th and 19th centuries. Among them, there was a ceremonial sword, diamond insignia, tiaras and buttons, all encrusted with 4,300 precious stones. The gang was from a mafia family in the German capital, Berlin. They performed the operation in less than 10 minutes. The escape was as calculated as the entry. They sprayed the hall with a foam fire extinguisher to hide their tracks and fled in an Audi car, which was abandoned in a car park and set on fire, before they fled back to Berlin. Dresden’s Green Vault reopened its doors and most of the stolen objects were put back on display Getty Images via BBC In 2023, five men were sentenced to sentences of four to six years in prison. Some of the jewelry, including the diamond-encrusted sword, was recovered intact. But several pieces remain missing, including a rare diamond known as the White Stone of Saxony, valued at US$12 million (about R$64.7 million). The Green Vault is open to visitors interested in viewing the recovered pieces and the crime scene. 4. Iran’s best-kept treasures The crown worn by the Shah of Iran is one of the pieces from Iran’s Treasury of National Jewels, kept at the country’s Central Bank in Tehran Getty Images via BBC Beneath the streets of the Iranian capital, Tehran, behind steel doors and under the watchful eye of armed guards, lies Iran’s Treasury of National Jewels. The collection was gathered over the centuries, by Iranian dynasties Safavid (1501-1736), Afexarid (1736-1796), Qajar (1789-1925) and Pahlavi (1925-1979). It includes some of the most valuable gemstones and royal trousseaus in the world. But the 1979 Iranian Revolution led, in January, to the flight of Shah Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980) from the country, after three months of increasingly violent protests against the regime he commanded. Therefore, there was a fear that the jewels would be lost in that chaotic transition of power, until the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini (1902-1989), in February of that year. But a later inventory confirmed that all the treasure remained intact in the vault. There, protected by bulletproof glass, is kept the Darya-ye Nur (“Sea of ​​Light”), a huge pink diamond. At approximately 182 carats, the Sea of ​​Light is one of the largest cut pink diamonds known in the world. Its legend dates back to the Mughal palaces of India and the coronation halls of the kings of Persia. There is also the Pahlavi crown, which shines with its thousands of diamonds, pearls and emeralds. Its creation dates back to 1926, inspired by the crowns of the ancient Sasanian Persian empire (224-651). The Treasury of National Jewels is located in the Central Bank of Iran. The vault functions as a museum and as a pillar of national finances. Its centuries-old treasures became state property in 1937. Since then, they have helped protect the value of Iran’s currency, the rial. As many of the jewels are unique and irreplaceable, experts say the true value of Iran’s National Jewels is incalculable. Public access to the vault is possible, but strictly limited. Visitors must undergo security measures inside the Central Bank of Iran and view the collection on a guided tour. Access to phones, pockets and cameras is prohibited. 5. The theft of the Mona Lisa People gathered around the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, during the return of the work to Paris, on January 4, 1914 Getty Images via BBC The robbery that occurred on October 19, 2025 was not the first major loss suffered by the Louvre Museum. Currently, the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world. But it took an assault, more than a century ago, for the work to gain the prominence it has today. On Monday, August 21, 1911, the Louvre was closed when Vincenzo Peruggia (1881-1925) managed to enter the museum and leave with Leonardo da Vinci’s (1452-1519) masterpiece. Preparation for the assault was minimal, but it caused great repercussions. When the theft was discovered, the police began an investigation and the Louvre kept its doors closed for a week. But the Mona Lisa was missing for more than two years. It is said that crowds visited the Louvre, just to see the empty space where the painting was displayed. The work was recovered on December 10, 1913. Peruggia was discovered when he delivered it to the antique dealer Alfredo Geri, from Florence, Italy. The theft had been an inside job: Peruggia was an Italian immigrant worker, who installed the glass door that protected the masterpiece. He wore the same white uniform worn by museum staff and knew how the painting was attached to the frame. Empress Eugênia’s crown, one of the pieces that was stolen from the Louvre Museum, in France, on October 19 Getty Images via BBC

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