An important work of art, stolen from a major museum, has just been recovered because the thief used a certain form of modern technology that he thought would protect him, but that ultimately forced him to turn himself in. What is the artwork, and what was the downfall of the thief?

mochyn

THE SCREAM caught by infra red ink Jan 28 06, 10:35 AM

lanfranco

Sorry, mochyn, that's not the one, but here's a hint: when I received the news about this work's recovery yesterday, I had to scramble to update one of my quizzes. Jan 28 06, 10:56 AM

wajo

I'd been thinking of The Scream as well - so thanks for the clue. The thief who stole a 16th century Cellini gold salt cellar gave himself in after he was recognised on a surveillance tape purchasing the mobile phone from which he made ransom calls. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2004591,00.html Jan 28 06, 1:03 PM

lanfranco

Perfect, wajo, a yay to you! The "Saliera" is apparently slightly the worse for wear, but it's nice to have it back. Although the thief used a different cellphone for each ransom call, police were able to trace one of them to a particular store, where they then examined the surveillance tapes and publicized them. Cellini would probably have enjoyed the whole thing. Jan 28 06, 1:35 PM