Paris’s Louvre museum is back in the spotlight after authorities recently announced that several hundred works stored in the Egyptian department were damaged due to a water leak in late November. The tragic event reportedly took place on November 26, almost a month after a daring jewelery heist in which Napoleonic jewels worth $102 million were stolen in broad daylight.
The deputy general director of the museum, Francis Steinbock, elaborated on the extent of the damage and reported that magazines and archaeological reviews from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were damaged. According to a report by The Guardian, 300 to 400 guns were affected.” These prized works were consulted by Egyptologists and students.
Although the damaged items were “extraordinarily useful”, they were not “unique”. Steinbock indicated that the losses in these collections are not significant, adding: “At this stage, we do not have any irreparable and definitive losses in these collections.”
“No heritage artefacts were affected by this damage,” The Guardian quoted the Deputy Administrator as saying.
According to a Bloomberg report, the world’s most visited museum suffered a water pipe leak that damaged valuable items stored in its library of Egyptian antiquities. In the Mollien wing, a valve from an antiquated heating and ventilation system accidentally opened, causing water to seep through the ceiling. The system was due to be replaced from next September and was shut down for several months.
The damaged works are being restored
Francis Steinbock said that the damaged works are being restored and will be “dried, sent to the bookbinders for restoration and then returned to the shelves”. The concerned authorities have launched an internal investigation into the leak.
Four suspects in particular have been charged in the October jewelery heist, but the whereabouts of the rare jewels – including royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings – are still unknown. The theft happened within a span of just seven minutes.
There have been concerns about the museum’s infrastructure in the past, with museum officials planning to implement a 45% increase in ticket prices to raise up to $23 million in annual revenue to fund structural improvements. In 2024, almost 8.7 million tourists visited the Louvre, 69% from abroad.
