Five out of seven valuable 18th-century snuffboxes stolen last year from Paris’s Cognacq-Jay Museum have been found.
Paris Musées, an organization that manages several of Paris’s city museums, announced the return of the objects this week. “Thanks to a thorough investigation conducted by the police, with the assistance of the Paris Criminal Investigation Department, five snuff boxes of great historical and heritage value have been recovered and are now safe,” the organization said in a statement. No information on how or where the items were discovered was provided.
Two of the five boxes recovered were on loan to the museum from the Louvre in Paris, two were from the British royal family’s Royal Collection Trust in the UK, and one was from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Two more, one belonging to the V&A and one from the Royal Collection are still missing.
The Cognacq-Jay Museum houses an extensive collection of 18th-century art and objects amassed by French businessman Ernest Cognacq, founder of the La Samaritaine department stores. On his death in 1928, he bequeathed his holdings to the city of Paris.
In November 2024, the snuffboxes were on display at the museum as part of the exhibition “Pocket Luxury,” when they were taken by masked thieves during a daylight robbery. The boxes, once used to hold powdered tobacco, were decorated with gold, precious stones, mother-of-pearl, or enamel and estimated to be worth at least €1M.
