ABOUT THE STOLEN ART

CHINESE - GU, 12TH CENTURY BCE

Bronze, 26.5 x 15.6 cm (10 7/16 x 6 1/8 in.)

This 10-inch tall ancient Shang dynasty bronze beaker is by far the oldest of the stolen objects. Mrs. Gardner  bought it in 1922 for $17,500 and placed it in the Dutch Room on a small table in front of Zurburán’s “Doctor of Law,” the painting just to the right of the stolen Rembrandt seascape. The austere trumpet-shaped cup of the beaker is supported by a stem and base overwrought with more intricate interweaving. It was surely one of the most elegant pieces in the entire museum.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

On March 18, 1990 at 1:24AM, two men dressed as police officers walked into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 81 minutes later they walked out with $500 million worth of artwork (today’s value). They forced the night guards into the basement, and duct-taped their hands, eyes, and ankles. The guards were not discovered until the new shift came to relieve them around 8 am. When the police examined the gallery, they noticed that the missing paintings had been cut from the frames, instead of carefully removed. None of the pieces have ever been recovered.

13 pieces were stolen from the museum. The value of the pieces makes this the biggest art theft in the history. The museum is offering $10 million in reward money for information leading to the recovery of the stolen items. Now each piece will live forever inscribed on Bitcoin.

This Lot Includes:

Inscription #894933

• 1 of 1

NO RESERVE

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