Wenlok Jug stolen from Stockwood Discovery Centre - Museums Association

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Wenlok Jug stolen from Stockwood Discovery Centre

CCTV footage shows raider smashing case
The Wenlok Jug, a rare example of metalwork from the 15th century, has been stolen from a high-security display case at the Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton.

The bronze medieval jug was taken in a smash-and-grab raid on the museum between 11pm and 11.25pm on 12 May.

CCTV footage shows a man in a hoodie breaking into the museum reception and using what appears to be a drain cover to smash the case, which was alarmed and made from 13.4mm laminated glass. Karen Perkins, director of Luton Museums, told a press conference that a reward would be offered for the safe return of the jug.

“This is a real shock to the museum service,” she said. “The jug has been the centrepiece for a lot of the work we’ve done here, so this is a huge loss to staff and the site.”

The jug was bought by Luton Museums Service for £750,000 in 2005, after an export bar prevented it being sold to New York’s Metropolitan Museum.

The Art Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund and Headley Trust contributed towards the purchase. The jug is inscribed with the words “My Lord Wenlok” and weighs 6.1kg.

The theft is the latest in a series of high-profile raids on museums, including Durham University’s Oriental Museum, Yorkshire Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.

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