You remember that David Copperfield stunt on TV ? I've always wondered how something like that could be pulled of for real. I've come to the conclusion that invisible cloaks are not real so my best bet is chemistry.
Let's say you built a replica of the statue out of something to later, under the right circumstances and preparation, make it vanish. What would that something be, how long would it realistically take to completely dissolve/burn/melt/sublime? Theoretically of course. Crazy ideas are welcome.
In other words, how to make an impossible thief's dream come true?
Also don't be ashamed to post any other hypotheticals like submerging the statue underwater for example, no matter how impractical they are.