Precious "La Saliera" sculpture recovered in Austria VIENNA - "La Saliera," a precious sculpture stolen in 2003 in Vienna and worth over 50 million euros (60 million dollars), was recovered Saturday by police, ending a three-year investigation into the greatest art theft in Austrian history, an interior ministry spokesman said. "It is the 'Saliera'," spokesman Johannes Rauch confirmed. Police found the 16th-century gold-and-enamel sculpture, representing the goddess of agriculture Ceres and the god of the sea Neptune, in a box buried in a forest near the northern town of Zwettl, the Austria Press Agency reported. "Experts confirmed to the interior minister the authenticity of the art piece found this afternoon in a box in the Waldviertel," Rauch said. A man was being held by police in connection with the theft, he added. The man apparently turned himself in after investigators released a picture of one of the suspects Friday and friends recognised him. The suspect led police to the sculpture, which he said he had buried himself, ORF television reported. Saturday's recovery ended a three-year saga which began with an extraordinary theft in May 2003. A thief broke into Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum by smashing a window after using scaffolding to reach the first floor gallery, but guards ignored the alarm, thinking it was a false alert and the sculpture was found missing only four hours later by cleaning staff. Friday, investigators revealed they received a piece of the valuable salt-holder and a 10 million-euro ransom demand last October. Contact was established through a newspaper ad and the sculpture's removable Neptune trident was found hidden in a public park. Police said they then took part in a game of cat and mouse, following a phone call on November 7, with the blackmailer scattering text messages and notes around the Austrian capital. The caller eventually ended the chase that evening but not before police were able to take a picture of a suspect, which led to Saturday's find. "La Saliera," created by the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini for King Francois I of France, is seen as the "Mona Lisa of sculpture." ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).