[CPProt.net] selected reports September 1, 2003 (fwd)
Alan Sondheim
Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2003 06:51:18 +0200
From: CulProProtNet / MuSecNetwork <sec...@xs4all.nl>
To: li...@cpprot.net
Subject: [CPProt.net] selected reports September 1, 2003
The moderator of the CPProt.net mailinglist disclaims all responsibility fo=
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selected reports September 1, 2003
_____________________________________________
- Cahill gang linked to stolen Leonardo da Vinci painting
- Stolen Leonardo (Jonathan Sazonoff)
- Case of the missing painting fails to pull in crowds
- Art theft and 'rewards' (David Scully)
- Thieves have stolen original artwork used in the animated film The
Snowman
______________________________________________
Cahill gang linked to stolen Leonardo da Vinci painting
Brendan Mcginty Exclusive
THE robbers who stole a £40million masterpiece may have been linked
to murdered "super-thief" Martin Cahill.
Police in Ireland are looking at former associates of the Dublin gang
boss known as The General. Cahill - who was murdered in 1994 and was
played by Kevin Spacey in the film The General - carried out a series
of daring thefts in the 1980s, including a £50million art raid on an
Irish stately home. His former allies are believed to have been
behind two other robberies of paintings from the same place,
Russborough House, in 2001 and 2002. And one of them had been making
trips to the UK before da Vinci's Madonna with Yarnwinder was stolen
from Drumlanrig Castle, in Dumfriesshire, this week.
Cahill escaped with 18 paintings worth £30million in his 1986 raid
from Russborough House. It was one of four robberies at the stately
home in the last 30 years. Detectives have identified two men - one
of whom has since died - as the robbers who stole two paintings -
Portrait of Madame Bacelli by Gainsborough and View of Florence by
Bernardo Bellotto - in 2001. The surviving robber is also believed to
have carried out the 2002 raid in which five paintings, including two
by Rubens, were stolen. Gardai detectives believe the same man has
made recent trips to Britain. A Dublin police insider said: "Cahill's
old gang were among the top art thieves in Europe. Their influence is
being considered by police investigating this crime. There are
certain similarities in the way the robbers mingled with tourists."
Alexandra Smith, of the Art Loss Register, who are assisting police
in the inquiry, said: "There are similarities between the Russborough
House raids and this crime.
"There are other similar thefts carried out in England so we couldn't
draw a definite link at this stage." Meanwhile, the Duke of
Buccleuch, who owns Drumlanrig, yesterday called for more Government
support for stately home owners. He said: "For many owners, the cost
of providing access to these properties and their attractions is very
high, with them facing security and employment costs."
__________________________________________
From: Jonathan Sazonoff <s...@kwom.com>
Send reply to: s...@kwom.com
Organization: SAZ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Subject: RE: Stolen Leonardo
Dear Subscribers,
Last week, a journalist in Scotland asked for some comments about
this recent theft of a Da Vinci. Ton asked me to re-post those
comments. At the risk of sending far too long a note, those
observations are included at the end of this note.
Police are investigating the August 27, 2003 theft of a valuable
painting stolen. In the UK, Leonardo Da Vinci's (Italian, 1452-1519)
"Madonna with the Infant Jesus Holding a Yarn-winder" was taken from
the Duke of Buccleuch's Drumlanrig Castle outside of Glasgow,
Scotland.
For a picture of the stolen painting, and a description of the
thieves, see the updated press release from Dumfries and Galloway
Constabulary.
http://www.dumfriesandgalloway.police.uk/news/2003/1379.htm
Lloyd's of London, the painting's insurer via Tyler & Co, has offered
a £100,000 reward. Mark Dalrymple (a name well known to readers of
this list) is handling the insurance claim. Descriptions of the
thieves have been posted through out the British media including a
composite of one thief wearing a NY Yankee baseball-cap. It seems
all bases have been covered.
Before I forget, thank you to the web-editors at the BBC for
providing a link to our research "The world's most wanted art" within
their recent coverage.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3188431.stm
Leonardo Da Vinci does have his special place in the annals of stolen
art. After all, some may argue that the theft of the Mona Lisa in
1911 brought just enough of a hint of infamy to give "La Gioconda"
the crown as the most desired (valuable) painting in the world. The
Mona Lisa was of course recovered in 1913, twenty seven months after
her theft.
Hope you find this of interest.
Jonathan Sazonoff
Saz Productions, Inc.
http://www.saztv.com
Contributing US Ed.
Museum Security Network
http://www.museum-security.org/artcrime.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonardo da Vinci question from a Scottish journalist:
"Yesterday, Leonard da Vinci's "Madonna with Yarnwinder" was stolen
from a stately home on the outskirts of Glasgow.
It is conservatively valued at £35m but I am trying to establish what
sort of market the painting would have be stolen for.
Also, would the painting be destined for abroad or would it be too
risky a venture?
If you may be able to help me with any details or your own thoughts
on this matter then I would be very grateful."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Response to Scottish Journalist:
Hello,
The notoriety of this stolen work should make it impossible to sell.
Ransom perhaps, but how could one sell such a thing?
I think these foolish criminals saw one of the many "this day in
history" items recently noting the Aug 21, 1911 theft of the Mona
Lisa. They thought hey what a big crime - we can do something like
that. What happens next probably wasn't thought through.
Taking something like this is like snatching an enormous sign saying
I'm a thief, come arrest me. I think this crime will be solved
within the next few days or possibly weeks. As Sir Arthur Conan
Doyal put it via his character Sherlock Holmes, "The little things
are infinitely the most important". The police may or may not have
closed circuit pictures of the thieves, there were witnesses to the
crime, and the car they used was found abandoned. Who knows what
forensic evidence might be developed? I'm sure clues abound. There
might be fingerprints on admission tickets or perhaps the ticket
taker or guide could even recognize the thieves' accents. Even here
in the States, the difference between a Scottish, Welch, and London
accent is quite discernable.
However, back to your original question on this crime and the market
for hot art. In the widest sense there could be a number of other
possible (doubtful) motivations for such a crime. Some of these
include:
* A commissioned theft (theft for hire) at the behest of an illegal
art collector.
* Criminals needing collateral (or a high value marker) for other
illegal dealings.
* Criminals who want a card to play when negotiating away existing or
future prison time.
* Thieves getting greedy based on their success in past crimes or
ransoms.
* They may even be thrill seekers who just wanted to have a Leonardo
da Vinci.
Again all of these are possible but doubtful reasons for this crime.
In the end one must come to grips with a basic truth that thieves
steal things. It's usually done for money and bigger is usually
believed to be better. There are only a handful of existing Da Vinci
paintings. I think the count is somewhere between seventeen and
thirty. The master's works are rare, worth millions (US dollars) and
would be impossible to legally display or sell. I don't think these
thieves know what they got themselves into. Even someone like me in
Chicago, the other side of the world, has herd about this crime. I
don't think these thieves will get away with it.
Hope this is of some help
- JS
__________________________________________________
Case of the missing painting fails to pull in crowds
ALASTAIR DALTON
AN empty wooden cabinet greeted visitors who came to glimpse the
scene of Scotland’s largest art theft at Drumlanrig Castle yesterday.
A book left open at an illustration of the Madonna with the
Yarnwinder was the only reminder of the Leonardo da Vinci painting,
which was stolen last Wednesday in an audacious theft by two men
posing as visitors. Staff at the 17th-century mansion, near Thornhill
in Dumfries and Galloway, said there had been no rush to see the site
of painting (estimated value: £30-£40 million). They reported an
average "good summer Sunday" total of 500 people visiting the castle
after it opened for the first time since the crime. Extra staff were
drafted in to boost security while police patrolled the grounds. The
building then closed for the season last night, a week early, for a
full security review.
The next most valuable painting in the Duke of Buccleuch’s collection
at Drumlanrig, Old Woman Reading by Rembrandt, had been removed from
a wall opposite the Madonna as an additional security measure. The
Madonna was stolen by two men who forced a staff member guarding the
staircase hall area to the floor. They drove off with two other men
in a white Volkswagen Golf. A reward of more than £100,000 has been
offered by insurers. The Earl of Dalkeith, whose father the Duke of
Buccleuch owns the castle, said the family remained confident the
treasure would somewhow find its way back. "Although we are obviously
extremely gloomy at the moment," he added, "we are determined to do
what we can in encouraging those who can recover the painting to do
so.
"Deep down I believe that it may be a matter of time but one day she
(the painting) will be back at Drumlanrig."
_______________________________________________
Art theft and 'rewards'
>From Mr David Scully
Sir, You suggest that the Leonardo stolen from Drumlanrig Castle
might “be offered eventually through a middleman at an amount
tempting enough to an insurance company to pay a ‘reward’ ” (report,
August 28).
It is illegal for an insurance company to pay a reward, without the
express permission of the police. Permission would not be given to
pay anyone connected with the crime or any middleman.
As the largest insurer of art in the world, it is our unwavering
company policy not to countenance ransoms, even if paid through
middlemen.
In any case, it would make absolutely no commercial sense for an
insurer to pay such a “reward” as it would simply encourage the
thieves to steal more art, thus diminishing our cultural heritage
(and insurers’ profits) further.
Yours sincerely,
DAVID SCULLY
(Underwriting Director),
Axa Art Insurance,
106 Fenchurch Street,
London EC3M 5JE.
david....@axa-art.co.uk
_______________________________________
The Snowman artwork stolen
Thieves have stolen original artwork used in the animated film The
Snowman.
At least 18 animation cells worth a total of £20,000 were taken from
the film's central London production headquarters.
The thieves fled with the pictures which showed scenes of the film's
two main characters - the snowman and the young boy James. Film
bosses believe the cells were stolen to order for someone with
extensive knowledge of animation. John Coates, the film's producer,
said: "These cells were some of the few remaining as most have been
sold or perished in the 20 years since the film was made. "They were
due to be exhibited in Japan and Australia later this year and are of
course irreplaceable. "I am very saddened that these pieces will be
lost to generations of people who love the film. "These pictures have
enormous personal and sentimental value to me." They have been placed
on a register of stolen art and police carried out forensic tests at
the building, he said.
The Snowman, an adaptation of Raymond Briggs's classic wordless
children's book, has been broadcast in over 100 countries. It has won
numerous awards, including a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination, and has
become one of Britain's Christmas television favourites.
______________________________________________
______________
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__________________
Morrigan Nihil
y how
many da vinci's are still around, an estimate of somewhere between '17 =
and
30' is fairly wide. secondly, it would appear that many of the snowman
cells have 'perished', in 20 years! to both i suggest that those
'responsible' for 'caretaking' our art at least do their bloody jobs
properly, start by cataloguing and finish by securing. finally, what d=
oes
it matter which rich twat 'owns' them, much of what sits in british mus=
eums
and stately homes (such as the castle from which the da vinci was nicke=
d) is
stolen anyway - a result of our imperialist past. who cares. my frien=
d
picked up his camera from me today. he said a funny thing happened on =
his
way. a guy sitting in the street asked him for a light. when my frien=
d
turned round he saw that street guy was sucking on a huge crack pipe, t=
hat's
why he wanted the light, and it was 4.30 in the afternoon. i don't giv=
e a
shit about 'our' 'cultural heritage', but i do care that kids are getti=
ng
wasted on the streets.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Sondheim" <sond...@PANIX.COM>
To: <WRYT...@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA>
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 6:56 AM
Subject: [CPProt.net] selected reports September 1, 2003 (fwd)
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2003 06:51:18 +0200
> From: CulProProtNet / MuSecNetwork <sec...@xs4all.nl>
> To: li...@cpprot.net
> Subject: [CPProt.net] selected reports September 1, 2003
>
> The moderator of the CPProt.net mailinglist disclaims all responsibil=
ity
for the contents of messages sent to the list.
> .
> http://www.hansholbein.nl/
> .
>
>
> selected reports September 1, 2003
> _____________________________________________
>
> - Cahill gang linked to stolen Leonardo da Vinci painting
>
> - Stolen Leonardo (Jonathan Sazonoff)
>
> - Case of the missing painting fails to pull in crowds
>
> - Art theft and 'rewards' (David Scully)
>
> - Thieves have stolen original artwork used in the animated film The
> Snowman
>
> ______________________________________________
>
>
>
> Cahill gang linked to stolen Leonardo da Vinci painting
> Brendan Mcginty Exclusive
>
> THE robbers who stole a £40million masterpiece may have been linked
> to murdered "super-thief" Martin Cahill.
>
> Police in Ireland are looking at former associates of the Dublin gang
> boss known as The General. Cahill - who was murdered in 1994 and was
> played by Kevin Spacey in the film The General - carried out a series
> of daring thefts in the 1980s, including a £50million art raid on a=
> It is conservatively valued at £35m but I am trying to establish wh=
> At least 18 animation cells worth a total of £20,000 were taken fro=