Criminalia

Mask of a Faun may not be a piece that first comes to mind when you think of Michelangelo’s portfolio of work. But it’s an important one, because it's the first marble sculpture he made. And more than 450 years after Michelangelo chiseled the details, Mask of a Faun was looted by the Nazis, and it hasn’t been seen since.

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The one thing that might be weirder than an original Salvador Dalí painting being stolen from the walls of the New York City Department of Corrections, is the fact that an original Salvador Dalí painting hung for nearly 40 years in the lobby of the Rikers Island jail complex in the first place.

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Things are a little different on today's episode of our show: Today we're talking to Mo Rocca. Among the many interesting things he's involved with, Mo is the host and creator of the hit podcast "Mobituaries" and author of the New York Times bestselling book, Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving. Join us as we talk about historical crimes, obituaries, and Mo's favorite cocktail/mocktail.

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No one knows when Emperor Constantine installed the gilded Triumphal Quadriga sculpture in his new capital city, Constantinople, near the triumphal arch which led to the Hippodrome. How it got to Constantinople has been lost to the ages, and, so is its origin story. What we do know is these four horses have traveled from Chios to Constantinople; to Venice, Paris, and back to Venice again, with some interesting stops along the way. This sculpture is best known as The Horses of St. Mark’s, and what we do know about it begins after it was stolen during the Sack of Constantinople, in April of 1204.

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Napoleon once stole several of its panels. The Nazis; they took the whole thing. The Ghent Altarpiece, also known as Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, has been the victim of more than a dozen crimes, including several thefts. Commissioned in the 15th century, it is, today, considered the most famous Flemish painting from the Renaissance period. Since it's completion, though, the work has been cut in half, nearly damaged in fire, and hidden in salt mines -- and part of it's still missing today. It's kind of a miracle it's made it this far through history.

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One the world's greatest unsolved art thefts happened in Montréal, Québec, Canada, in 1972. Seventeen paintings remain missing, and the cat burglars behind the incident have never been apprehended. In fact, the story sounds a lot like a Hollywood script. Under the cover of darkness, three men entered the building through the one skylight that was under repair, and rappelled into the museum galleries below. It was, it's agreed, a very cinematic theft.

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“We have some bad news, sir. The Rembrandt is gone again,” the investigating officer told the gallery director at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Rembrandt painted during the 17th century, and as part of his completed works you’ll find a portrait of a man named Jacob de Gheyn III, an engraver who commissioned the painting. The piece has since been nicknamed, the Takeaway Rembrandt, because it’s been stolen so many times – four times, so far, and from the same gallery. And here's its story.

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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, is probably best remembered for his defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. A military general, he became a leading military and political figure of 19th-century Britain. And, his portrait, painted by Goya, also became a target of theft from the National Gallery in London – though not for reasons any of us might image. The Duke was once quoted as saying, “The only thing I am afraid of is fear.” We wonder, though, how he felt about ... ransom? 

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For some, the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian bible is an apocalyptic prophecy, involving the second coming of Christ and the judgment of souls. And the imagery for that interpretation is seen in artwork over the centuries, including The Last Judgment triptych. You may wonder, but which one? And you're right -- there are actually several Last Judgments. But only one has been stolen -- by pirates.

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Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa has been described as, “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world.” She's been immortalized in everything from Andy Warhol’s pop art to Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. But there was a time when the Mona Lisa was not well known, if you can imagine – and it took a man named Vincenzo Peruggia to launch her into stardom. 

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