RAIDERS of the LOST ART

At least 2,000 items from the British Museum were reported missing, stolen or damaged last year, and it now faces a massive overhaul. But it's not the only institution that finds it hard to keep hold of its collections - and when that happens, who do they call? Mark Wilding meets the art detectives who track down disappeared treasures

SURROUNDED BY SO MANY TREASURES, who would notice if a handful went missing? For many years, nobody did. A Hellenistic gem. A Roman ring. The losses have silently mounted up. To anyone behind such thefts, it must seem like an undetectable and, perhaps, even a victimless crime. After all, nobody had noticed any items were gone. Until, one day, they did.

On 16 August 2023, the British Museum made an announcement. Items from the museum's collection were "missing, stolen or damaged", it said, adding: "A member of staff has been dismissed." The scale of any crime was unclear, but a brief description of the missing items hinted at the significance of the discovery, referencing "gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD". Museum chair George Osborne appeared keen to move on quickly, describing the "decisive action" the institution had taken and concluding: "We're determined to right the wrongs and use the experience to build a stronger museum." Over the subsequent weeks, however, more shocking details emerged.

The sacked member of staff was a senior curator, later named as Dr Peter Higgs, who had worked for many years in the museum's Greek and Roman antiquities department. The museum has sued Higgs in the high court in London and in March he was ordered to list or return any stolen items. Higgs, who disputes the claims, did not attend the hearing due to poor health, and while the Metropolitan police are investigating the alleged thefts, it has not charged anyone in connection with the missing artefacts.