In 1962, the Countess of Paris attended the wedding of fellow European royalty in Queen Marie-Amélie’s sapphires—which were snatched in what has become one of the worst thefts of its kind.

It was, in nearly every way, an ordinary photo distributed by The Associated Press to news media outlets. It showed three policemen leaning against a silver car parked in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris just hours after the brazen theft of a collection of French crown jewels on Sunday.

The Louvre Museum in Paris remains closed to the public after robbers stole imperial jewels in broad daylight on Sunday.

The theft of French crown jewels overshadowed the robbery of some $100,000 worth of historical coins from a museum dedicated to philosopher Denis Diderot.

Thieves have stolen priceless jewels from the Louvre using a basket lift, according to France's interior minister

Laurence des Cars, the head of the Paris museum, told a Senate hearing that she had offered to resign after the stunning theft of royal jewels.

At the time of the suspect's arrest, she was attempting to dispose of nearly 2.2 pounds of melted gold pieces.

The Louvre remained closed Monday after historic jewels were stolen in a daring daylight heist. Thieves used a basket lift to access the museum, smashed display cases, and fled with Napoleonic jewels.