After four long years, the British police have finally solved the infamous case of the theft of a $6 million solid gold toilet.
The saying “What goes around comes around” seemed to come true in the case of Maurizio Cattelan’s golden toilet sculpture. This unique object was stolen in 2019 from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England.
+ Brora Iris: Sculpture Housing 50-Year-Old Whisky Goes to Auction for Up to $650,000
At one point, Edward Spencer-Churchill, the founder of the Blenheim Art Foundation, expressed his conviction that the magnificent golden lavatory, nicknamed “America,” was “not the easiest thing to steal.”
However, the gang of seven individuals who broke into Blenheim Palace in the early hours of the morning and ripped the fully functional solid gold toilet out of the ground proved him wrong.
Over time, the authorities managed to arrest seven suspects, but as of yet, no formal charges related to the theft have been filed.
In 2021, Matthew Barber, the police commissioner for the Thames Valley and crime, told the BBC that “recovering the toilet would be a challenge… If you have that much gold, it’s likely that someone has managed to dispose of it in one way or another. It would be wonderful if we could recover it and return it, but personally, I’m not convinced it’s still in the same form as before.”
While it is possible to identify and prosecute the individuals responsible for the theft, the recovery of the 18-karat solid gold toilet presents itself as a nearly impossible task. In this regard, we agree with Charlie Hill of Scotland Yard, a respected art detective, who believed that the toilet may have been dismantled and melted down to produce jewelry.
Stay updated on our Facebook page!
