re: #8 Hecuba’s daughter

The only other possibility is that the theft was done to return the piece to the country of origin; so many artifacts were “acquired” by colonial powers by looting nations they controlled. So, in effect, a government-run or cultural heritage organization-run operation of the original owner nation.

From the article:

The missing item is a seated Buddha with a halo, roughly 4 feet tall, created during Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1867) probably as the centerpiece of a temple, according to the gallery.

Being it was from Japan, that would sorta narrow down the list of possible looters.

[Looks around nervously]