British art authenticator Curtis Dowling claimed he was contacted by two separate people on Sunday asking him to authenticate “some important French jewelry.” He told ARTnews he believes they wanted him to assess the loot, including pieces once belonging to Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, that was stolen from the Louvre just hours before he allegedly received the phone calls.
French officials reportedly said the jewels, which were believed to have been lifted by three masked men who used small chainsaws to breach a museum window in broad daylight, are worth $102 million.
“STOLEN !!!! and then the phone rings. 1 hour ago, today, 19th October 2025! UPDATE! 2nd PHONE CALL JUST IN ASKING THE SAME THING FROM RUSSIA,” Dowling posted on LinkedIn. “Can I authenticate some important French jewellery? Urgently. What’s my usual fee I am asked? I tell the man on the telephone. We will pay you in cash 500 times that amount he says. I smell trouble.”
Dowling, who presented the US TV series “Treasure Detectives” on CNBC Prime Time and claims never to have been wrong as an authenticator in 37 years, added: “Someone has stolen something important from the Louvre and they are trying to fence it (sell it fast) and this man who sounds like he is from the Middle East doesn’t want to buy cheap paste copies from the thieves so he gets my number as the number 1 authenticator in the world, assuming I can be bought (I can’t)… because when you buy stolen goods you can’t exactly call the Police if you get ripped off.”
He said the two men “described very similar scenarios,” so “it’s not too much of a leap of faith to assume we are referring to the [jewels stolen from the Louvre].”
When asked if he was tempted to string the callers along in a bid to find out who they were, he replied that he’s learned that it’s “best to keep on the right side of the law and not upset any organized crime groups.” He said he “hung up” on the callers.
“I politely decline[d] to get involved. You see… I don’t do this to get rich and secondly I’d rather keep from being buried in a shallow grave in Saudi if I get involved…” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Dowling, who admitted to ARTnews that his art authentication techniques are “unethical,” also confirmed that he has no formal training or qualifications: “Everyone has been given a gift in this world. No one is left out Thank the lord for me it’s knowing when something is a fake, and then painstakingly proving it.”
