Contained in a dark red case, the instrument, as well as her bows by Nicolas Maire and Jean-Marie Persoit, were stolen from her home on 24 September

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French cellist Ophélie Gaillard has announced that her instrument and bows have been stolen.

The 1737 Francesco Goffriller cello and bows by Nicolas Maire and Jean-Marie Persoit were contained in a red dark flight case and were stolen on the evening of 24 September while she was at home in Haute-Savoie, south-eastern France.

Anyone with information can contact Gaillard via email at opheliecello@gmail.com or via social media.

Gaillard has previously had her instrument stolen. In February 2018, Gaillard was robbed at knifepoint outside her home in the Parisian suburb of Pantin. The assailant took her 1737 Francesco Goffriller cello, on loan from the CIC bank, as well as the bow by Jean Pierre Marie Persoit and her mobile phone.

The instruments and bows were recovered a few days later. The thief decided to return it, after presumably seeing the broad coverage the theft received and realising the true value of the cello of around €1.3m, and therefore the risks involved with any attempt to sell it.

After smashing the window of a car on Gaillard’s street, the thief placed the cello inside and made an anonymous phonecall telling her where to find it.

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