In the realm of antiquities, the Edo-era figurine stands as a singular rarity, a gem that defies easy disposition. Law enforcement remains ensnared in the enigma of the pilferer’s intent. In the early hours of a recent month, an audacious heist unfolded at the Barakat Gallery, nestled along La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Under the cloak of night, approximately at the stroke of 3 a.m., the pilferer maneuvered a rented van onto the gallery’s premises, breaching its gates, and maneuvered a conveyance dolly through the repository grounds. The path wound amidst diverse relics, from African timber sculptures to Japanese earthenware roofing tiles, ultimately culminating at the hallowed bronze visage, valued at a staggering $1.5 million. The entire operation unfurled in a span of approximately 25 minutes.
As yet, the identity of the marauder eludes the grasp of the authorities, and the labyrinth of motives remains shrouded.
“We have been laboring to interlace the fragments,” disclosed gallery overseer Paul Henderson to the Los Angeles Times.
Vigilant eyes from both law enforcement and gallery custodians dissected and re-scrutinized segments of the surveillance footage that chronicled fragments of the audacious theft, speculating over numerous conjectures. Was the pilferer perhaps an aficionado of Japanese shrine craftsmanship? Alternatively, might an anonymous benefactor have orchestrated this grand larceny? Or could it be that the miscreant harbored no interest in the artistic heritage, but rather coveted its intrinsic metallic worth, destined for the crucible? The effigy, towering at four feet, hefts in the vicinity of 250 pounds. It portrays a seated Buddha, its crown aglow, a creation that originally aspired to be the cynosure of some sanctuary. Tracing its origins back to the Edo epoch, it is attributed to the hands of sculptor Tadazou Iinuma, according to The Art Newspaper.
Adorned with an inscription that deciphers as: “Brought forth by Tadazou Iinuma, in the inaugural year of Shouho, Kanoe. Entreated for and beseeched by Ryozen, maestro of the Shingon doctrinal faction, Dainichi-Nyorai, Yudo-no-San Shrine, of the uppermost social echelon.”
“I hold it in the highest esteem,” avowed gallery proprietor Fayez Barakat in a dialogue with KTLA. “Once ensconced in the garden of my domicile, upon my transition to this gallery, I situated it in the yard for all to marvel at and relish.” Barakat, presently domiciled in London, recollected the acquisition of this Buddha effigy, now 55 years distant, attesting to its unrepeatable provenance.
“I ardently hope that the individual who purloined it isn’t fixated solely on its bronze mass, for it is a relic of historicity,” lamented Barakat. “I am overcome with sorrow. Perhaps the pilferer apprehended its worth. It’s plausible that they enlisted the services of a brigand, solely to effect the theft.”
Gallery staff postulate that this heist was conceived with forethought, as the ill-intentioned party appeared to have their sights squarely set on the Buddha. Amidst an array of hundreds of alternative artifacts, this particular objet d’art emerged as the pièce de résistance.
“In that enclosure, we house a cache of 200 objects, yet this one is our crown jewel,” asserted Henderson. “I wager there’s naught akin on the market. Standing tall at four feet, a cast bronze hollow, it is a spectacle to behold. It commands attention in its aesthetic grandeur, and its disappearance is nothing short of stupefying.” Remarkably, the Buddha figure had never graced the gallery’s exhibition halls, nor had it merited a slot on the establishment’s website. Instead, it languished in a recess of the rear premises, veiled from the casual passersby. The theft takes on an even more mystifying hue, as the exceptional nature of the piece renders it nigh unviable to liquidate.
“By virtue of its hoary lineage, there exists no market for this relic,” expounded Henderson. “There is no auction block, no pawn emporium wherein one might exchange it for a paltry sum. It is an insurmountable quandary. It mirrors a caper from a museum’s annals, where one is left to ponder, what purpose now for this objet d’art? We remain in rapt curiosity and veritable befuddlement.”
To date, the authorities have refrained from christening any prospective suspects, yet they keep vigil for any external surveillance footage that might furnish a face to the culprit.