Over the weekend, thieves brazenly stole several pieces of France’s Crown Jewels from the Louvre in broad daylight, getting in and out of the world-famous museum in just minutes.

The thieves climbed a mechanical ladder, forced open a second-story window, smashed display cases, and grabbed more than $100 million in historic emerald, sapphire, and diamond jewelry before taking off on scooters Sunday morning.

We asked Cécile Alduy, professor of French literature and culture in the French and Italian Department at the School of Humanities and Sciences, to discuss the significance of the stunning theft for French culture. Alduy primarily studies how ideas of national identity and “Frenchness” are created and understood, especially at critical junctures in France’s history.

Cécile Alduy | Courtesy Cécile Alduy

1. When you heard about the jewel heist at the Louvre, did any French cultural myths or stories about daring thieves and priceless treasures come to mind?

Anyone who watched the French Netflix series “Lupin” with Omar Sy was immediately reminded of the first episode, where the famous thief steals an inestimable pearl necklace in the middle of the Louvre Pyramid. This episode is based on the novel Arsène Lupin et le Collier de la Reine (Arsène Lupin and the Queen’s Necklace) by Maurice Leblanc, a 1907 classic of French detective stories (as famous to French people as Sherlock Holmes), where a necklace said to have belonged to Marie-Antoinette is stolen. Except that Lupin is a “gentleman” and returns the necklace!

French literature abounds with stories of royal necklaces being stolen, returned, or disappearing at the worst moment. The Three Musketeers’ first volume revolves around another queen’s diamond necklace: Louis XIII’s wife, Queen Anne, has given her lover, the Duke of Buckingham, the diamond necklace offered to her by her husband, and the musketeers need to retrieve it rapidly when the king summons his wife to wear it at an official event … or else. Indeed, there is a whole mythology around queens’ jewels as representing the highest artistic achievements of French jewelry, the honor of the throne, and a symbol of cultural refinement and courtship.

2. What is the significance of this event for French culture at this time?

This spectacular heist in broad daylight could not come at a worse time for France’s ego and international image. Political instability has spiraled out of control since the legislative elections summoned by Emmanuel Macron in June 2024. Prime ministers are ousted at an accelerated rate, trust in institutions is plummeting to unprecedented levels, and Standard & Poor just downgraded France’s ratings to a mere “A” when it was “AAA” just a few years back.

The theft and security loopholes it revealed reinforce a sense of decline and lack of control over France’s destiny: rising insecurity, a shortage of staff and investments, a lack of modernization, a suspicion that no one is at the helm, and a sense that everything is falling apart.

The Louvre is literally, historically, and symbolically the heart of France (much like Notre-Dame). It’s geographically centered in its capital, Paris, the symbol of royal power since the 14th century. After the French Revolution, the Louvre became the jewel of France’s cultural and artistic influence in the world. With the addition of the Pyramid by I.M. Pei in the late 20th century, it symbolized France’s capacity for rejuvenation, leadership, and forward thinking. It is the most visited museum in the world.

All these symbols are trampled by this one heist under everyone’s nose. A sense of shame and powerlessness can be sensed in public opinion.

3. These jewels are more than just valuable objects – they’re part of France’s cultural heritage. What role do you think objects like these play in shaping how the nation sees itself?

In a republic infused with the idea that the arts and culture are primordial, royal and imperial jewels are considered the inheritance of the entire nation and a visible trace of France’s past “grandeur.” The specific necklaces, earrings, and brooches stolen belonged to one of the most glorious periods of French history, its imperial period. The jewelry belonged to the Empress Marie-Louise, niece of Marie-Antoinette and wife of Napoleon I; to the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III; to Queen Hortense, mother of Napoleon III; and to the last queen of France, Marie-Amélie. Even though French people are fiercely attached to the Republic, these are remembered as magnificent pages of France’s history and fulfill a symbolic role of beholder of a glorious past.

4. Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be the impact of this heist in French culture?

It’s definitely a blow to the national ego. It might even fuel further dissatisfaction with institutions, the elite (responsible for its preservation), and no doubt will be politicized and weaponized in the forthcoming election cycle by the far right as a token of France’s decline in the hands of Macron. After all, Macron celebrated his first victory in a grandiose choreography in May 2017 right in the Louvre, and the French president is responsible in the French Constitution for everything that pertains to international relations, authority, and security. The theft of the royal jewels will certainly be seen as a further humiliation.