The artist behind a solid gold toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace has denied rumours he was behind the theft.
Maurizio Cattelan, 58, is known as a prankster of the art world, but insisted he had nothing to do with the covert raid of his flushable masterpiece.
The 18-carat lavatory, reportedly worth £4.8 million, was ripped from a wood-panelled room at the Oxfordshire stately home in the early hours of Saturday.
But Mr Cattelan refuted any suggestion it had all been a mischievous stunt, saying: "I wish it was a prank."
The Italian artist told the New York Times: “Who's so stupid to steal a toilet?”
He added: "I want to be positive and think the robbery is a kind of Robin Hood-inspired action."
The 58-year-old is understood to have attended a reception party at the 18th century estate on Friday, marking his first UK solo exhibition in two decades.
The golden throne was the centrepiece of his new show which opened on Thursday and was scheduled to run until October 27.
Thames Valley Police believe a gang of thieves using at least two vehicles were responsible for the theft.
Det Insp Jess Milne said on Sunday: "We are following a number of lines of inquiry and there will continue to be a police presence in and around the area of Blenheim Palace while our investigations continue.
"We are making every effort to locate the offenders and the toilet that was stolen."
However, sceptics have struggled to accept the theft at face value due to Mr Cattelan’s history of show-stopping acts.
In 1996, he stole another artist’s entire exhibition from a nearby Amsterdam gallery, before trying to pass off the exhibition as his own work.
At the time, he described the theft as a "survival tactic" after being given only two weeks to produce work for his own show, ArtNews reported.
"I took the path of least resistance,” he said. “It was the quickest and easiest thing to do.”
Despite police being called, Mr Cattelan was allowed to continue his display for several days.
Almost 20 years later, the renowned prankster created his glittering lavatory, named "America" in protest at the excesses of wealth.
Discussing the piece in a 2016 interview, he said: "Whatever you eat, a two-hundred-dollar lunch or a two-dollar hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise".
In the wake of its theft from Blenheim Palace, he reinforced its intended purpose as a gift to the public.
"America was the one per cent for the 99 per cent,” he told the New York Times. “I hope it still is."
