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The 2.1-ton, 10-foot-long bronze sculpture, Reclining Figure (1969–70), was taken from the 72-acre estate of the Henry Moore Foundation in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, in December 2005. The theft baffled art and crime experts and led to a global hunt for the thieves.

Police investigations suggest that the piece was taken by a group of travelers from Essex and that the metal may have ended up feeding China's growing demand for electrical components. Detective Chief Inspector Jon Humphries of the Hertfordshire police said it is believed the figure was "irreparably damaged" shortly after it was taken. Closed-circuit-TV footage showed that the thieves used a crane to lower the statue onto a stolen Mercedes flatbed lorry.

The statue may have been moved through a Dagenham scrap dealer in December 2005 and on to a Essex scrapyard, according to police. Shortly afterward, it was apparently shipped abroad, possibly to Rotterdam, Netherlands, and then further east, circumventing an order to Interpol to monitor all ports for the distinctive figure.

Richard Calvocoressi, director of the Henry Moore Foundation, told the Observer that the theft remained a "source of great regret" and that considerable efforts had been made to find the sculpture. Moore, who died in 1986, was renowned for his monumental, rounded reclining figures.