The theft of the Saliera from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in 2003 is considered one of the most spectacular art crimes of the post-war period. The history of the salt barrel is still fascinating today. The dilemma museums face in protecting valuable pieces.
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Verena Mayer
The Mona Lisa of Austria is small and made of gold. It’s not a painting, it’s a salt and pepper shaker. Apart from that, the Saliera, as the work is called, has everything that an art icon needs. It is exhibited in a separate room in the Kunsthistorisches Museum. People from all over the world come to Vienna to see the salt barrel. When the museum celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2016, it did so with a huge replica of the Saliera on the square in front of the magnificent building on Wiener Ring.