In 1949, the royal vaults of Baroda were supposed to be sealed, transferred to the new Indian state as part of a complex and delicate independence process. But when an audit revealed that hundreds of crown jewels had vanished, suspicion fell on one woman: the Maharani of Baroda, Sita Devi.

A woman as notorious as she was glamorous, Sita Devi didn’t just smuggle the jewels out of India. She wore them on magazine covers, flaunted them in Monte Carlo casinos, and lived a life of velvet defiance while the Indian government scrambled to respond.

In this episode, we unravel the scandal behind the Star of the South and the English Dresden, trace how cultural patrimony can be quietly erased in auction houses, and ask the hard question: Who gets to own history?

From Baroda’s treasure rooms to Sotheby’s glass cases, from the Mona Lisa stolen in 1911 to a daylight jewel heist at the Louvre in 2025, this is a story about ego, erasure, and the price we pay for letting power write the museum labels.

We’ll also explore how today’s restitution debates are evolving, and whether justice for stolen history is finally within reach.

Topics Covered:

Attribution Notes:

Every effort was made to cross-check primary sources and modern research. Where paraphrasing is used, it’s drawn from the cited texts with narrative license for clarity and flow.

If you spot an error or have a source to suggest, DM @thisagainshow

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This, Again is written, produced, and hosted by Mallory Faust. 

Mona Lisa Theft / Cultural Theft Themes

Restitution Debates / Cultural Patrimony