Police are appealing for public help after a significant piece of Tasmania’s wool history was stolen from a Ross museum earlier this month.
The Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy was taken from the Tasmanian Wool Centre Museum overnight on Friday, December 5.
The sculpture, which was on loan from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, is considered culturally significant to Tasmania’s wool industry.
Police were called to the Church Street museum in the early hours of Saturday, December 6, after the building’s alarm was activated.
Detective Sergeant Dwayne Kirkby said investigators believe a man broke into the museum before fleeing with the trophy.
“The suspect, believed to be a man, was wearing black shoes and gloves, light-coloured trousers and a hoodie,” he said.
“He left the scene in a white van, although the make and model are unknown.”
Detective Sergeant Kirkby said police had been following several lines of inquiry since the theft.
“This item is of significant importance to Tasmania’s wool industry and we’re committed to returning it to its rightful owners,” he said.
According to the Tasmanian Wool Centre Museum, the Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy was established in 1963 by Count Ermenegildo Zegna, founder of the luxury Italian fashion house.
The trophy, commissioned by Tasmanian sculptor Stephen Walker, was awarded for the best superfine merino fleece annually from 1963 until 2008.
It had been on display in the wool exhibition room at the museum and was open to the public seven days a week.
Police are urging anyone who saw suspicious activity around the museum on the night of December 5 to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Northern CIB on 131 444 and quote reference number OR791821.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
