The Louvre Black Series. After the jewelry was stolen, water flooded 400 books in the Egyptian section

A water leak that occurred in the Louvre at the end of November damaged approximately 400 books in the Egyptian antiquities department, Francis Steinbock, deputy director of the Paris museum, admitted on Sunday.

The leak was first revealed on Friday by the French art magazine La Tribune de l'Art. He informed that On the evening of November 27, there was a serious leak of dirty water in the Ancient Egypt section of the library. It was so large that not only did it cause flooding of the room, but the water penetrated the floor below, reaching the electrical switchboard, which could have caused a short circuit and a fire. Moreover, last Tuesday, another, although smaller, leak occurred in the same place.

According to “La Tribune de l'Art”, approximately 400 books were damagedsome of them to such an extent that they are beyond savinga. As added, the Ancient Egypt Department has long been unsuccessfully seeking funding to protect its collections from such threats.

On Sunday, Steinbock confirmed in talks with the French media that the described leak actually took place. In an interview with BFM TV, he said that a leak from a water pipe occurred in one of the three rooms of the library of the Egyptian antiquities department.

We have identified 300 to 400 works, the counting is ongoing, said the deputy director, adding that the lost books were “those used by Egyptologists, but they were not valuable books.” He also admitted that the problem had been known for years and repairs were scheduled for September 2026.

In turn, in an interview with AFP, Steinbock explained that “Egyptological journals” and “scientific documentation” used by researchers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were damaged. – No works of cultural heritage suffered as a result of this damage – he emphasized, adding that “at this stage we have not recorded any irreversible and final losses in these collections.”

As he argued, these are “extremely useful and frequently consulted documents,” but “they are not unique on a global scale.” – Once they are dry, we will send them to a bookbinder for restoration and then they will be put back on the shelves – he assured.

The water leak is another incident in recent months that shows the problems of the most visited museum in the world in securing its collections. On October 19, four burglars stole jewels worth 88 million euros in broad daylight. In turn, in November, due to poor technical condition, it was necessary to partially close one of the galleries containing Greek vases.

In a report published in early November, the French Court of Audit wrote that the museum's inability to modernize its infrastructure was made worse by excessive spending on works of art. At the end of November, the management of the Louvre announced that in order to obtain funds for necessary modernizations and security, from January 2026, it will increase its capacity by 45%. ticket prices for foreigners from outside the European Economic Area will be increased. (PAP)

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