Berlin, September 9 (ZXS) -- According to a report by the German News Agency on the 14th, at midnight local time on the 13th, a theft occurred at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, Germany, and nine pieces of Chinese porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, worth more than one million euros, were stolen. The perpetrators are currently at large.
According to the police investigation, the perpetrator broke into the window at midnight on the 12th and stole items from the display case. A museum staff member heard loud noises and then saw two suspicious men, one of whom was carrying a gray square backpack. Police are looking for more witnesses.
The collections, dated from the 16th to 19th centuries, were acquired by the museum's founders between 1906 and 1911, and include unique collections such as multicolored wall vases and lotus pots.
Stefan Charles, head of the cultural department in Cologne, pointed out that the number of people familiar with the collections is limited and that there is unlikely to be a local resale market for such stolen goods, hoping to discourage resale by publishing pictures of objects and thefts. It also said it would immediately begin a reassessment and in-depth review of museum security.
After the incident, the museum's director, Shaolan Hetel, was deeply shocked. Even more painful than the financial loss, she said, is that almost all of the stolen items belong to the museum's founding collection. She hopes the items will return to the museum.
Founded in 1913, the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne is said to be the first specialized museum of its kind in Europe. Together with the Asian Art Museum in Berlin, the museum houses Germany's most important surviving works of Chinese porcelain, pottery and painting. (End)