The 2003 Theft of Cellini's Gold Salt Cellar from Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum

In the early hours of May 11, 2003, a thief scaled scaffolding at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, broke a first-floor window, and stole Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera, a gold and enamel salt cellar valued at tens of millions of euros. The alarm triggered, but guards dismissed it as a false alarm due to ongoing renovations. The theft shocked Austria, with museum director Wilfried Seipel calling the piece the 'Mona Lisa of sculptures'. The thief, Robert Mang, a 50-year-old with no criminal record, claimed he acted impulsively after a night of drinking. He attempted to extort 5 million euros from insurer Uniqa, later demanding 10 million, but failed. In 2005, Neptune's trident was found in Vienna's Burggarten. Mang was identified via a prepaid phone and surveillance footage, surrendered in January 2006, and led police to the salt cellar buried in a metal box in Zwettl forest. The artwork survived with minor scratches. Mang was sentenced to five years in 2007 but released early in 2008. The incident prompted security reforms at the museum.