Description
By William Van Zyl (May 2021)
A Short Story.
The frames were laying on the floor like skeletons ripped of their flesh – vicious vultures had attacked. When the next shift of security guards arrived, they only found the remains.
The two night-shift guards were handcuffed to a shelf in a small office at the famous building. They looked like aliens – duct tape covered their eyes and mouths. They didn’t see a thing. The dayshift guards freed them. The duct tape pulled every tiny hair out its follicle – wide red bands were left around the faces of the night shift guards.
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“500 millions de dollars d’œuvres d’art arrachées par des chirurgiens – le cœur du célèbre musée a été supprimé.”
“$ 500 million worth of artwork ripped out by surgeons – heart of the famous museum removed,” read the tabloids in the city of Paris, France. Images of the empty frames flashed around the world.
The two robbers – posing as police officers – were master actors. In the early hours of June 16, 1990, they convinced the guards that they saw two men climbing up the walls of the famous museum with a rope.
The police officers wore black clothes and balaclavas, reported the security guards.
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The work of famous artists was stretched into the old frames – entertaining people for decades. However, on June 16, the timeworn canvasses were removed with X-acto knives. Like professional carpet installers, they had cut out the painted canvasses – they used the edges of the picture frames as straight edges – it must have been quick and easy. They have removed painting after painting – scarring the reputation of the museum and its security system deeply.
The artwork was rolled up and carried away in long musical instrument cases. The surveillance footage showed the shape of the cases: a bass violin, long wind instruments, and keyboard cases were amongst the range of cases. Clever concealment indeed. People – if any – would have seen them as musicians leaving the Louvre in the middle of the night. Probably thinking they were practicing for a special event.
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“There is something sinister about the large ‘Creation of Adam’ painting of Michelangelo,” said the curator of the Louvre.
As she walked closer, she could see a 15 mm gap between the painting and the frame. She immediately went to the giant magnifying glass – mounted on a trolley – and inspected the picture. She was astonished!
“What on earth, this is a replica of a replica!” she gasped, “The robbers must have replaced it the night of the heist!”
Creation of Adam – by Michelangelo. The painting was done by a contemporary artist – unknown – for the Louvre museum. The Creation of Adam is a fresco painted on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling. The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope, in Vatican City. Credit: Pixabay.
From the author’s sketchbook. Michelangelo (1475 – 1564). Worked till the day of his death – aged 88.
Video: Details of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Quantum Computer:
Close up of the sketch from the author’s notebook. Quantum computers operate at very cold temperatures (20 mKelvin = – 273 degrees Celcius). See the interesting article by the author to see the full sketch with annotations. Link to the blog post: https://fivehousepublishing.com/2021/04/27/in-the-ice-cold-belly-of-the-golden-dragon-it-rumbles-spins-and-twirls-light-atoms-spark-and-flash-the-almost-frozen-creature-is-at-work/
