Three pieces of Chinese porcelain worth over €6.5 million stolen in France

The museum heist was a movie-worthy affair – thieves broke into the Musee Adrien Dubouchet in France, a major European centre for ceramic art, through a window and stole three pieces of Chinese porcelain, considered national treasures, in just five minutes.

According to French media reports, three artifacts, all Chinese porcelain, with a total insurance value of over €6.5 million, were stolen from the renowned Adrien Dubouché Museum in Limoges, southwestern France, between the night of Wednesday, September 3rd, and Thursday, September 4th. The museum, with a collection of approximately 18,000 ceramic pieces, is a major European center for ceramic art.

Less than a year after a violent robbery in which seven pieces were stolen from the Cognacq-Jay Museum in Paris, another museum has been robbed. The local prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the "aggravated collective theft of cultural property and damage to exhibits in French museums."

The exterior windows of the Adrien Dubouchet Museum. Photo source: France Television

At approximately 3:15 a.m. local time on September 4th, the alarm at the Adrien Dubouché Museum sounded, prompting two security guards to arrive, but it was too late. The theft lasted only five minutes. The thieves reportedly entered the historical exhibition hall through a window and stole Chinese porcelain protected in display cases. According to prosecutors, police responded quickly, but the thieves had already fled. The number of perpetrators is currently unknown.

A resident interviewed a few dozen meters from the museum said he "heard nothing" and "saw nothing" at night. "I never thought anyone would steal from here," he said in surprise. "Investigators are currently using video surveillance. The speed of the crime leads us to believe that multiple people were involved," Limoges prosecutor Emilie Abrantes explained to French media.

Two stolen porcelain plates

According to the latest information provided by the French National Manufactures (Sèvres and the French National Furniture Manufacture), these artifacts are extremely valuable: "They are two particularly important porcelain plates (inventory numbers ADL 7514 and ADL 7238), produced by the Jingdezhen Porcelain Factory, dating to the 14th and 15th centuries based on their blue and white decoration; and a porcelain vase (inventory number ADL 6268), also produced in China, said to date from the 18th century. Their total insurance value exceeds 6.5 million euros."

Another stolen blue and white porcelain vase

Inaugurated in 1900 and incorporated into the French National Manufacture (Sèvres and the French National Furniture Factory) on January 1, 2025, the Adrien Dubouchet National Museum houses the world's richest public collection of Limoges porcelain.

Adrian Dubouche National Museum

Interior space Source: Adrien Dubouche National Museum

Limoges Mayor Émile Roger Lombertie told the media: "The security system is functioning properly, but it may need an overhaul. Crime is on the rise and we must always stay one step ahead. All the major museums in the world have had artifacts stolen. It is very likely that the collectors ordered these thefts."

Closure notice source: French Television