Itemising the stolen artefacts from the British Museum “could take weeks, if not months” and even calls into question the safety of the disputed Parthenon Marbles held at the London institution, an expert in recovering stolen works of art has said.
The museum announced on Wednesday it is taking legal action against an unnamed staff member, who has been dismissed, and launched an independent review of security after items from its collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged earlier this year.
The staff member has not been arrested.
The items include gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones, and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD, which were not recently on public display and were mainly used for research and academic work, the museum said.
The theft comes amid one of the world’s most intractable cultural heritage disputes – the fate of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum.
Greece has been campaigning for decades for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, which once adorned the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in Athens.
The country has long claimed they were illegally acquired during a period of foreign occupation, while British officials have rebuffed repeated demands for their return.
Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and expert in recovering stolen art, told the PA news agency that the theft exposes the museum to questions over the safety of the ancient sculptures.
He said: “It makes one wonder whether the Parthenon Marbles are safe in the British Museum after all, and perhaps they should be returned to the museum in Athens for their security.
“One of the arguments the British Museum has always given is they’re better preserved in the British Museum than they are in Athens.
“(They said they’re a) secure facility, and maybe that’s not entirely true.”
It comes after director of the British Museum Hartwig Fischer said it had “tightened” its security arrangements following the theft, while museum chairman George Osborne said its priority is to recover the stolen items, find out if there is anything that could have been done to stop it, and to do whatever possible to prevent it from happening again.
Mr Marinello, an expert in recovering looted and missing works of art including well-known restitution cases on behalf of foreign governments and heirs of Holocaust victims, told PA: “Let’s face it, we hate to see museums say ‘we’re going to tighten security’ after a theft, why wasn’t security tightened before? It’s not enough to have cameras on the walls, one needs to properly vet their employees.
“There needs to be sign-ins and sign-outs for every object that’s being studied.
“There are plenty of things that museums need to do and if any museum knows how to do it, it’s the British Museum.”
The specialist also questioned why “one of the most well-funded museums in the world” is having problems with theft, adding it is “too early to know the extent of the damage”.
He said it is now “critical” that the museum can decipher a comprehensive list of what has been lost.
“I believe that until they do a proper inventory and compare with previous inventories, they won’t know what is still missing,” he said.
“It’s imperative that they publish a list of everything that might be missing so that it can be recovered.
“It could take weeks, if not months.”
Mr Marinello, who founded Art Recovery International in 2013, concluded: “It’s unfortunate that we entrust these institutions to preserve our cultural heritage, yet we don’t give them the proper funding for them to do so.”
The British Museum previously said it will be taking legal action against the unnamed staff member, while the matter is also under investigation by the economic crime command of the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “We have been working alongside the British Museum.
“There is currently an ongoing investigation – there is no arrest and inquiries continue. We will not be providing any further information at this time.”
