The story of the stolen gold salt shaker worth $ 57 million

In May 2003, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna was stolen with the thieves escaping with one of the most remarkable parts of the museum, the Saliera. One gilded sculpture dating from 16th century and was created by renaissance sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Celliniwho was one of the most prominent artists of his time, reports gunge.com.

The thieves, according to a New York Times article, were able to enter the museum through a scaffolding set up next to the building. They then broke a window to gain access. The theft, when discovered by a cleaner in the morning, was devastating for the museum, as Saliera was considered “the Mona Lisa of sculptures“, As stated by the director of the museum Wilfried Saipel. At the time of the theft, Saliera is said to have been worth it $ 57 million.

The search for the $ 57 million gold salt shaker

A few years passed and there was no evidence of who stole the precious jar of salt and pepper. In October 2005, however, authorities received a text message from an anonymous sender requesting 5 million euros in exchange for Saliera, reports grunge.com. The sender also threatened that the work of art will melt if the requirement is not met. Authorities were able to locate where the phone used to send the message was purchased and thus were able to access video tracking the person who bought the phone. Footage from the video was released and the thief was soon handed over.

It was later revealed that Saliera was buried in the forest. According to The Guardian, Saliera was buried in the woods near Mang’s cottage. “We dug for an hour. Finally we found a can. The sculpture was wrapped in linen and plastic. “Everything was properly waterproofed,” authorities said. According to Reuters, the work was recovered and returned to the museum in 2006, where it was put back in place. It is said to be the most valuable piece in the museum’s collection, as it is the only certified gold work of art by Benvenuto Cellini.

Who stole the golden salt shaker?

The man who stole Saliera was identified as 50 year old Robert Mangwho was engineer security. Before the theft, Mang went on a tour of the Kunsthisorisches Museum where he noticed security system bugs. A few weeks later, Mang was partying at a club near the museum. As he was leaving the party, he saw the scaffolding next to the building and took the opportunity to steal Saliera. When asked why he did it, he replied that “Saliera is so convenient. “I could not make a painting so easily.” According to grunge.com, he also said that he just wanted to prove that the museum’s security system was defective and that it was a decision of the moment to steal something.

According to police, Mang did not know that what he had stolen was a valuable work of art. He learned about its cost only when he saw it on the news. Mang, who was sentenced to four years in prison, had kept Saliera in a suitcase hidden under his bed after stealing it, and buried it shortly before it was handed over.