{"id":112,"date":"2025-04-27T11:42:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ac.nau.edu\/artcrime\/?p=112"},"modified":"2025-05-03T09:02:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:02:57","slug":"a-gesture-as-romantic-as-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ac.nau.edu\/artcrime\/2025\/04\/27\/a-gesture-as-romantic-as-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gesture as Romantic as Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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My Darling Anya, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are my world, a world of beauty. Hair of the perfect mixture of cadmium yellow and violet, resulting in a neutral blonde. It emphases your sapphire blue eyes. I could write endlessly about you, my Mona Lisa. My wishes are to bless you with fruitful fulfillment. The beauty of marble sculpture, Apollo and Daphne, Apollo’s stone hands indenting and curving to the torso of on Daphne\u2019s body. Although stone, it appears as flesh. I envy Bernini\u2019s hands. I would like to document your face for a moment in time in history, observed by people as appreciative as I. Though, I do not share a talent such as Donatello nor Bernini in win big and live a life with wealth. A life without inconvenience. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know, I take any gig I can get to put food on the table. A record like mine doesn\u2019t get me jobs with well paying wages. Experiencing a life of poverty since a young age, resorting to theft is how I can survive. Understand my actions were with the intent for you to live a life with abundance in wealth, beauty, and privilege. Although not many strike that lucky, I hope for this sake, you are at least gifted with one. Reading this letter will entail my disappearance. I write to you in farewell, where I disappear with some of the riches I gained. Words can\u2019t express the sorrow I feel as I am no longer able to explain my whereabouts. Abandoning you, I\u2019m sorry. My love I write to you for the sake of closure, and may you find peace in the gift I have bestowed you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A couple of buddies of mine recently got in on a gig, and a friend of theirs’ got information on a job that scored big in gains. Staying on the run might let me live a life of riches. Their friend, Larry, got hired at the Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond as a security guard right before funding was cut. Larry has some education in cyber security so it helped land him the job. He said that he’ll help our financially situation, as long as he got a 25% cut.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Peter Carl Faberge, 1889 The Pelican Egg,<\/summary>\n

Overall (egg): 4 1\/8 \u00d7 2 1\/8 in. (10.4 \u00d7 5.4 cm)
Overall (stand): 2 1\/2 \u00d7 2 5\/8 in. (6.4 \u00d7 6.7 cm)
Overall (four miniatures): 1 \u00d7 1 in. (2.5 \u00d7 2.5 cm)
Overall (two miniatures): 2 \u00d7 1 in. (5.1 \u00d7 2.5 cm)
Overall (two miniatures): 2 1\/8 \u00d7 1 11\/16 in. (5.4 \u00d7 4.29 cm).Gold, diamonds, enamel, pearls, watercolor on ivory, glass. G215 – Faberg\u00e9 Gallery 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Having an insider, we were able to understand the mechanics and structure of the security system inside and out. At the moment, funding is terrible and there aren\u2019t as many security guard hires as there used to be. A max of three to five guards per night shift. The technological system has Internet Protocol (IP) cameras set up outside the building at every corner, and street alleys surrounding the building. Larry said it shouldn\u2019t be too big of a problem as the CCTV footage is usually low quality and I’ll be wearing a bunny mask since Easter is around the corner. Any footage of us in the building was erased the cloud after the heist by Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another guy on the team, Gary, Larry’s brother, works in city maintenance. On morning day before our heist, worked on the electric power lines for the entire block to malfunction in the late hours of the night. He had tampered with six other power lines for four other blocks around the city, as a diversion. Law enforcement is weakened by the amount of chaos in the district from 200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, covering the entire museum district, to the Starbucks across the street. The Museum district in Virginia has one fire suppression division house, and two in the next district. By disconnecting the electricity and power, the museum wouldn\u2019t be able to call that location. This would only give me and the boys a short span of ten minutes to gather everything and leave before suspicion. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Artist: MewMewDoesArt<\/summary>\n

Animated Gif on Clip Studio Paint<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

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The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts contains some prestigious artworks from paintings by popular artists such as Goya, or Delacroix, and cultural sculptures like Agrippina the Elder. From what intel detailed, most artworks are extra protected and secured. A good institution would have a backup generator, operating motion sensor lasers, and running footage. While Larry did agree to disable as much security in the duration of the heist, he couldn’t do it for long. The four of us that plan to enter the building had different objects in mind, I wanted to steal something worth emotional meaning. I love you, but I am in a way building a wall between us. I may never be able to see you. I stole an Imperial Faberge Egg out of the five in the gallery collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The egg my eyes had set on was the 1898 Pelican Egg, worth millions and what was so intriguing about these delicate sculptures were the opening mechanic system inside. A Faberge egg could hold monetary value of 33 million and this particular egg is worth about 1 million. The Pelican Egg carries watercolor on ivory split into seven circular pictures. It’s made of gold, its watercolor pictures encrusted with diamonds.  Quite pretty, like you my love. The very top has a pelican returning to its nest to feed the younglings. It\u2019s a nice fantasy to perhaps imagine a world in which I would have an artist dedicated to making work for the pleasure of my family. The Russian Tsar was a lucky man.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Infographic on the Provenance of Russian Imperial Faberge Eggs.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
I am no king, I have no power, I am simply scraps for someone greater. On Sunday of XXX, Larry is covering the night shift, and at 2:30am two men, friends of Gary, drive me and Gary to the museum. We arrived at 2:45am in the stolen vehicle I hot-wired in a Walmart parking lot and switched plates with neighboring cars a couple days prior\u2026I\u2019m sorry. Parking the car a little away from the institution. I go up to the power box behind the building, and I cut the wires, everything goes black. Gary and I climbed up the building’s second floor balcony, while the other two men getaway so no attention was drawn with a car parked on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I shattered the glass and I swiftly rolled up my sleeves to see the written directions I wrote after reviewing the floor plans of the museum. I quickly and quietly tipped- toed around the second floor all the way to G215, gallery three. I coincided with our insider, pushing me into the room, and calls for suspicious movement across the floor. I stood in front of five eggs. I took out a glass cutter. I don’t want to shatter the case glass, in fear of sounding the alarm. However I am timed. Larry currently disabling the lasers as I cut an opening on both sides of the glass case. That way when I took out the egg, Gary replaced the object with a similar weight to not sound off any alerts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took the egg and Gary replaced the object with a small bag of chips, although the sculpture is metal, it’s very light and delicate. I placed the egg in my bag. We then quickly run out the room running into another guard but before he can move, Gary headlocks the guard. I can\u2019t watch and I run to the balcony where I place my rope, latch to the railing, and climb back down. I run up to the car and wait for the others to get inside with me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 3:10am we are outside of the museum district and on our way.  The only witness was the one security guard who was choked till he passed out. He’s fine but he wasn\u2019t able to get a look at our faces just the size of Gary. We didn’t tell each our real names so we couldn\u2019t blackmail each other. While the men I worked with for this gig had other plans where they would sell their stolen arts, I was going to completely destroy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My dearest love, it seems so contradicting to say how much I appreciate art like you only for me to destroy it. Living in a society where the only circumstances to have financial stability is to cheat others, I\u2019d rather do it for you rather than get your hands dirty. I tore apart the sculpture, removing the painting glass. I gave six of the seven ivory paintings for him to sell through a dealer, and try to say its a portrait from the 1800s. I separated the jewels from the metal and enamel. In the backyard, I created a pit of heat, already cooled out, to heat the enamel and gold at 1675 Fahrenheit. I was able to mold the metal and sell it for a couple thousand, scamming it for pure gold. I left the jewels for you in case of your need of emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Truly Yours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexi<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Artist: MewMewDoesArt<\/summary>\n
Animated Gif on Clip Studio Paint<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Association for Research into Crimes against Art, issuing body, & Charney, N.\n(2016). Art Crime : Terrorists, Tomb Raiders, Forgers and Thieves (Noah.\nCharney, Ed.; 1st ed. 2016.). Palgrave Macmillan UK.\nhttps://doi.org\/10.1007\/978-1-137-40757-3\nBaker, T., & Shortland, A. (2023). How Crime Shapes Insurance and Insurance\nShapes Crime. The Journal of Legal Analysis, 15(1), 183\u2013200.\nhttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jla\/laad002\nThatcher, E. (2020). Easter Egg Hunt: The Cultivation of Russian Imperialism\nThrough Faberge Egg Collection. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.\nBlake, B.(2022). Great Art Heists of History: A Submachinegun in Stockholm\u2019s\nNationalmuseumEvemy.\nMutualArthttps:\/\/www.mutualart.com\/Article\/Great-Art-Heists-of-\nHistory--A-Submachin\/C3B7F9266005272C\nSuggested Practices For Museum Security As Adopted by The Museum, Library\nand Cultural Properties Council of ASIS International AND The Museum\nAssociation Security Committee of the American Association of Museums\n(Revised June, 2008)https:\/\/www.aam-us.org\/wp-\ncontent\/uploads\/2018\/01\/suggested-practices-for-museum-security.pdf\nGreenBerger, A. (2021). The 25 Greatest Art Heists of All Time. ARTnews.\nhttps:\/\/www.artnews.com\/list\/art-news\/artists\/greatest-art-heists-of-all-\ntime-1234583441\/mona-lisa-louvre-theft-1911-vincenzo-peruggia\/\nRunhovde, S. R. (2021). Perspectives on Police Specialization in Art Theft\nInvestigations. Policing : A Journal of Policy and Practice, 15(3), 1729\u2013\n1743. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/police\/paab024\nFennelly, L. J., & Perry, M. A. (2018). 150 things you should know about\nsecurity (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.\nGuy, J. (2020)CNN: Footage shows thief using sledgehammer to steal Van Gogh\npainting. CNN Style.\nVirginia Museum of Fine Arts. (2025). Lillian Thomas Pratt\u2019s Faberg\u00e9: Shopping,\nCollecting, Remembering. https:\/\/vmfa.museum\/collections\/stories\/lillian-\nthomas-pratt\/\nFinkel, M. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous\nObsession Vintage. Publication Date: 2024. ISBN: 9781984898456\nchapters 2-4.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n

Runhovde, S. R. (2021). Perspectives on Police Specialization in Art Theft
Investigations. Policing : A Journal of Policy and Practice, 15(3), 1729\u2013
1743. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/police\/paab024
Fennelly, L. J., & Perry, M. A. (2018). 150 things you should know about
security (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Guy, J. (2020)CNN: Footage shows thief using sledgehammer to steal Van Gogh
painting. CNN Style.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (2025). Lillian Thomas Pratt\u2019s Faberg\u00e9: Shopping,
Collecting, Remembering. https:\/\/vmfa.museum\/collections\/stories\/lillian-
thomas-pratt\/
Finkel, M. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous
Obsession Vintage. Publication Date: 2024. ISBN: 9781984898456
chapters 2-4.<\/code><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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