Dutch Museum Posts List of Stolen Items

Jan. 14, 2005
Master-level artists' works stolen, along with part of silver collection, in break-in that went undetected

When thieves broke into the Netherlands-based Westfries Museum on the night of Jan. 9, they made away with over 20 famous paintings and a load of silverware from the museum's collection.

Artists' whose work was lost include Jacob Waben, Matthias Withoos, Jan Linsen, Jan van Goyen and others.

According to news reports, the museum had checked its high-tech security system on the Thursday before the break-in, but the theft was not detected until staff discovered it on the morning of Jan. 10, when they found broken display cases and broken doors.

The museum, in an attempt to recover the artwork, has released a list of the stolen items to the public. That list is online at the museum's official website by clicking on the following link: http://www.westfriesmuseum.nl/lijst.htm.

The theft was considered the "heart" of the museum's collection and the stolen pieces were estimated to hold a total value of $13 million (US).