French cellist reunited with rare €1.3 million cello following home burglary

22 November 2024, 14:39

Ophélie Gaillard’s 300-year-old cello was stolen from her home along with two precious bows over a month ago.

French cellist Ophélie Gaillard has been reunited with her cello after it was stolen from her home at the end of September.

Dating back to 1737 the cello was crafted by Francesco Goffriller – one of the master luthiers of the Venetian school – and had a value of roughly €1.3 million.

The cello was stolen from her home in a dark red case which also held two cello bows by Nicolas Maire and Jean-Marie Persoit, along with cash and iPads, in a burglary on the night of 24 September.

Gaillard posted on Instagram to confirm the recovery of her cello, writing “The cello and bows are in perfect condition and will be able to resonate and vibrate again. For the moment, I can breathe again, my family is reassured, and now I hope to be able to devote myself to my passion again.”

At the time of the robbery, 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.”

But the theft of the cello, she added, was “a horror, a catastrophe”.

This wasn't the first time Gaillard’s cello had been stolen. In 2018, a man in the street threatened her with a knife before making off with the instrument. It was found two days later after an anonymous caller told Ms Gaillard it was in a car just outside her house.

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Bach: Prélude, Cello suite Nr.1 | Ophélie Gaillard

After putting out an appeal to find the cello, Gaillard told press it “has nothing to do with its commercial value”. She said: “It is as though I have lost a limb.”

She has had the instrument on loan from CIC bank “for more than 20 years”.

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

When instruments by Stradivardi, Gaillard and other leading violin makers are stolen, they often cannot be sold on because they are too valuable, and easily traced back to the owner.

Ophélie Gaillard won third prize in the International Johanna Sebastian Bach Competition in 1998, and is a great champion of solo cello repertoire including the Bach Cello Suites – a recording of her playing the first suite has had nearly seven million views on YouTube.