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Two antiquities were stolen in late October 2011 from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in a brazen daytime theft during visiting hours, but details were not released to the public earlier "because of an ongoing investigation by the Sureté du Québec and AXA Art, one of the world’s largest art-insurance companies". Hmm.One of the stolen pieces is a marble head from the Roman Empire, dating from the first century AD. The second, and far more valuable item, is a Persian low relief of the head of a guard, dating from the fifth century BC. It is made of sandstone, and estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Both pieces are small, about 20 by 21 centimetres, and had been part of the permanent collection of the Montreal art institution for decades.They have video footage from the museum’s security-camera system of a suspect, who is male, about 5 foot 7, and in October 2010, four months ago, was wearing jeans, running shoes, a black jacket and dark baseball hat as he strolled through the museum. A reward of $10,000 is being offered to anyone who can identify the suspect.
According to the museum, the theft is an isolated incident. Items on display are protected by security systems that include motion detectors and guards patrolling the galleries.
The article discusses several other thefts from Canadian museums in recent years. It seems art thieves can attack anywhere, any time - no matter what security measures are in place to deter and prevent them. Let us see how soon it is before these items "surface" on the dodgy art market.
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