Theft of Whangārei woman’s Buddha artwork may have been targeted burglary

The 2.5m by 1.8m Buddha artwork stolen from Deborah Nolan’s Whangārei home would have needed at least two people to carry. Nolan wants the treasured artwork back

It’s an art heist that has a home owner perplexed - burglars targeted her Whangārei home to steal a large image of Buddha, ignoring more valuable items and art work to take an image that provided her with so much comfort.

Deborah Nolan returned to her Parua By home on Monday, January 16, to find her home had been broken into, but only one item had been taken - her beloved Buddha artwork.

Nolan had been on holiday with her son and daughter to the US and as she was coming to her driveway noticed tyre marks on the grass where somebody had obviously got stuck.

‘’As I came to the house I noticed something was wrong with the louvre window. A piece was cracked and somebody had removed another piece and that’s how they must have got in,’’ she said.

‘’In the house it didn’t look like anything was missing, then I went into my room and saws that my Buddha artwork was gone. I was devastated, it has helped me get through some pretty tough things that have happened these past two years and I just felt so violated. These people had been into my home and left their yuck behind. My house is my sanctuary, my peace of mind....I had to cleanse the house with a karakia and a good clean.’’

Nolan said the artwork is big - about 2.5m by 1.8m - and ‘very heavy’ with a brass frame.

A close-up of Deborah Nolan’s stolen Buddha artwork

‘’It’s a massive piece that would have needed at least two people and a van to take it.

She has reported the theft to police and a neighbour had given details of a vehicle they had seen at the property a few days before she returned - which is when she thinks the burglary was.

‘’Nothing else was taken, no digital appliances, no other artwork off my wall, no personal items were taken, absolutely nothing else but Buddha. It looks like it was very well planned, but they probably didn’t expect the neighbour to see their vehicle,’’ Nolan said.

‘’It’s a spiritual thing for me, the Buddha, it gives me strength and peace of mind. It’s really, really old and I want it back.’’

She said the fact only a handful of people knew she had the artwork, coupled with nothing else being taken, made her believe it was a burglary specifically targeting the Buddha artwork.

She said the artwork is very distinctive and if anybody sees it, or knows who has it, they should contact police.

■ Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.