The loss of 221 jewelry items, most of which were enamels, from storage in the Russian section of the Hermitage, to the value of 130 million rubles ($4.8 million), was discovered after a regular inspection and announced Monday.
Mikhail Piotrovsky said, "I think it took several years to steal the items," but said the circumstances were unclear. The stolen items were Russian art from the Middle Ages and the 19th century.
"It is clear that without the cooperation of museum staff, this could not have happened," he said.
The director said a regular inspection of museum items had begun in mid-2005, and the curator of the collection had died in October, after which the collection was handed over to a new curator. He added that three or four museum employees usually had access to storage.
Police said a group of investigators was working at the scene, but no criminal proceedings had been initiated yet. "The items may have been removed to other storages without making corresponding records. In any event, it is premature to speak of criminal intent," a police spokesman said.
The Russian section of the Hermitage contains over 300,000 works of art from Russia's thousand-year history. The museum, comprising six buildings, has one of the world's largest art collections.
