The toilet entitled “America” was created by Italian artist Maurizo Cattelan as a commentary on ostentatious consumerism.
It was on display for a just few days at the stately home when a five-member gang smashed its way into the palace, ripping out the fully functioning appliance.
The toilet was never recovered as it was believed to have been split up or melted down and sold soon after it was stolen. It weighed approximately 98 kilograms and was made from gold worth about €3.3 million.
One of the men, James Sheen, 40, received a four-year sentence that will run consecutively to the 19 years and 4-month sentence he is currently serving for attacks on cash machines, a museum burglary and fraud.
He is believed to have wielded the sledgehammer used to remove the toilet from its fastenings.
The other, Michael Jones, 39, received a 27-month sentence, with the judge saying he could not be sure he was part of the gang that carried out the burglary, though he was found guilty of having carried out reconnaissance at the stately home preceding the crime.
That reconnaissance included trying out the facility a day before the theft, an experience he described to the court as “splendid.”
Other members of the gang have already been sentenced for their roles in the theft.
The toilet had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum in New York, and had been offered to US President Donald Trump as a loan during his first term of office, an offer the White House declined, having rather requested a Van Gogh painting.
One of Cattelan’s other works, a banana duct-taped to a wall, was sold in 2024 for $6.2 million at an auction in New York.
Blenheim Palace, built in the 18th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage site visited by thousands of tourists each year because of its valuable art and furniture.
