Cape Town museum burgled
2012-05-22 17:28
Cape Town - Eleven valuable Asian ceramic items were reported missing from a Cape Town museum, insurance company Artinsure said on Tuesday.
The items included a Chinese hot water urn, Japanese beaker vases, and Chinese plates and platters.
Die Burger newspaper reports that the items are said to be worth R50m.
The Cape Times reported that the exhibits of 18th and 19th century household items were stolen from the Manor House, on the Groot Constantia wine farm, sometime before Monday morning.
Iziko Museums chief executive Rooksana Omar said it was not clear how the burglars gained entry.
"Iziko Museums pro-actively seeks to protect and secure its collections from such occurrences. Despite these precautions, our collections still remain vulnerable," she said.
"The theft of heritage objects is an international phenomenon. Museums across the globe are battling an ever-increasing number of targeted onslaughts."
The museum exhibits furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics, brass and copper ware from the homes of successful Cape farmers.
- SAPA
