Rodin sculpture stolen from Copenhagen museum

All it allegedly took was 12 minutes for the legless sculpture known as "The Man with the Broken Nose" to dash from the Copenhagen museum undetected. Two thieves, disguised as tourists, reportedly removed the head from its base, placed it in a bag and made off with the loot without drawing the attention of security or museum visitors.

While the theft took place in mid-July, it was just now reported by Danish newspaper Politiken.

Rodin produced numerous versions of the sculpture during his lifetime, and this particular work - from 1863 - had been housed in the Danish museum for 95 years. It has been valued at 270,000 euros ($300,000).

The Glyptotek collection features a number of major works from the French sculptor, including "The Kiss," "The Thinker" and "The Burghers of Calais." In 2008, Rodin's "Eve, grand modèle - version sans rocher" sold for $18.9 million.

jgt/kbm(with dpa)