[MSN] Communist leader presented with picture stolen from Hermitage.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Communist leader presented with picture stolen from Hermitage 
16:02 | 20/ 12/ 2006 

MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) - A painting believed to have been stolen
from St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum five years ago was presented
Wednesday to the leader of Russia's Communist Party. 

A stranger called Gennady Zyuganov's office in the headquarters of
parliament's lower house in the morning, saying he would like to give the
picture to the Communist leader, party spokesmen said. 

"Once the canvas was brought in, we began searching for information about
the painting, and eventually came across an official statement by the
Hermitage administration saying that an unidentified person had cut Jean
Leon Gerome's 'Piscine du Harem' ['Harem Pool'] out of its frame on March
22, 2001," Zyuganov said. 

The 1878 picture, measuring 73.2 x 62 cm, was bought into Russia by Emperor
Alexander III, and its value is estimated at $1 million. 

Zyuganov said he is now waiting for a group of experts from the Culture
Ministry to come and test the picture for authenticity. 

More than 200 artworks were discovered missing from the Hermitage, one of
the world's richest and finest art collections, during an inspection in
August. Inspectors said the missing items had presumably been stolen over a
period of several years and that members of the staff may have been
involved. 

The mass theft uncovered at the Hermitage raised doubts over the reliability
of Russian museums' security systems, prompting federal authorities to order
checks nationwide. 

http://en.rian.ru/