‘Like losing a limb’: French musician’s appeal for stolen cello

A French musician has launched a new appeal after her 300-year-old cello worth €1.3 million was stolen from her home for the second time.

Cellist Ophélie Gaillard said that her Francesco Goffriller cello, which dates back to 1737, was among the items stolen from her home in a burglary overnight from September 24-25. Also stolen were some bows (with which a cello is played), as well as some cash and iPads, said Ms Gaillard.

This is the second time the cello has been stolen; it was taken previously in 2018, but found two days later after an anonymous caller told Ms Gaillard that it was outside her house.

‘A catastrophe’

After the latest theft, Ms Gaillard told FranceInfo: “Thieves came overnight between 03:00 and 05:00 when we were sleeping. The children are safe and sound, which is the main thing.” Yet, she added: “[The theft of the cello] is a horror, it is a catastrophe.”

Ms Gaillard has shared an appeal for the stolen cell on Instagram, together with photographs of it and the case it was in. She has appealed for people to share the post, and to contact her with any information.

“[My appeal] has nothing to do with its commercial value,” she said. “It is as though I have lost a limb.”

She added that she does not technically own the cello, which has been “on loan from CIC bank for more than 20 years”. It is estimated to “be worth €1.3 million”, she said.

‘Not sellable’

“As well as being hateful, it is mad to steal this kind of instrument,” she added. “It is not sellable. This type of rare instrument is identifiable and traced like works of art, so is easily spotted.”

She thanked other musicians in the industry, who had “shared the message throughout the sector”.

She said that the gendarmerie have opened an enquiry, but have so far been unable to determine if the theft of the cello was intentional or not (ie. whether the thieves knew the value of what they were taking).

Yet, the fact that this is not the first time that the cello has been stolen adds credence to the theory that it could have been targeted. The previous theft happened in the street, after a man threatened her with a knife before making off with the cello in 2018.

‘It’s the sound’

Ms Gaillard is now hoping for its return along the same lines as previously. She appealed its return on social media last time, and two days later she received an anonymous phone call saying that it was in a car, just in front of her home.

In 2018, she told FranceInfo why she loves the cello so much, beyond its historical and financial value. “It’s the sound…it is a very personal relationship.”