A diamond necklace valued at approximately 3.7 million euros and once belonging to Queen Nazli of Egypt was stolen from the MAK Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, according to local police. Two suspects posing as ordinary visitors entered the museum shortly after 2 p.m. on August 27, and used a hammer to smash the display case housing the historic piece before fleeing the scene.
The History of the Stolen Queen Nazli Necklace
According to reports, the stolen item is an iconic Art Déco piece created in 1939 by the Parisian maison Van Cleef & Arpels. Commissioned by Queen Nazli for the wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to the Iranian crown prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the necklace weighs over 200 carats. It features 673 round and baguette-cut diamonds arranged in a radiant pattern. The jewelry company describes the item as a monochromatic piece embodying the triumph of white jewelry. Sotheby’s auction records note that the necklace sold in New York a decade ago for 4.3 million dollars, which translates to roughly 3.7 million euros.
Vienna Police Investigation and Security Breaches
The Vienna regional criminal office launched a broad search operation to track down the two suspects, who paid regular admission tickets before approaching the temporary exhibition dedicated to the 120-year history of Van Cleef & Arpels. The exhibition featured about 500 pieces and was scheduled to run through September 27. According to reports, this Vienna museum heist coincides with a troubling summer for cultural heritage security across Europe. Just hours before the Vienna robbery, thieves targeted the Archaeological Museum of Villena in Alicante, Spain, escaping in four minutes with a collection of Bronze Age gold and silver artifacts discovered in 1963.
Did you know? The Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition at the MAK Museum in Vienna included approximately 500 pieces celebrating the maison’s heritage since its founding at Place Vendôme.
Comparison With Prior High-Profile Art Heists
According to reports, the method used at the MAK Museum echoes vulnerabilities seen in past incidents, such as the May 2003 theft of Benvenuto Cellini’s Saliera from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where scaffolding was exploited and alarms were ignored. Similar high-profile losses include the unrecovered Napoleonic jewels stolen from the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre in a seven-minute heist, and the historic 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa by an Italian museum employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the estimated value of the stolen Queen Nazli necklace?
According to Sotheby’s auction records cited, the diamond necklace has an estimated value of approximately 3.7 million euros, matching a previous sale price of 4.3 million dollars in New York.
How did the thieves steal the necklace from the MAK Museum in Vienna?
According to police reports, two suspects entered the museum disguised as regular visitors, paid for admission, used a hammer to smash the glass display case during daytime hours, and fled before authorities could apprehend them.
Which museum security cases are being compared to this incident?
Reports note comparisons to recent thefts at the Archaeological Museum of Villena in Spain, alongside historical incidents including the 2003 theft of the Saliera in Vienna and past security breaches at the Louvre in Paris.
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