Renaissance painter's works stolen from museum in Sicily

A theft occurred overnight into August 16 at the Regional Museum in Messina, Sicily, in which four paintings by Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina were stolen. Italy's Ministry of Culture confirmed the theft, describing the stolen works as exhibits of exceptional value. The news was also reported by Deutsche Welle.

Messina is the artist's birthplace, and museum director Marisa Mercurio said the stolen works include two of the most important and best-known paintings associated with the city. She described the theft as a major loss not only for the museum but also for the city, its community and the art world at large.

City mayor Federico Basile condemned the theft as highly reprehensible, adding that it was especially painful because it occurred during the city's traditional celebrations honoring the Virgin Mary.

Thieves bypassed alarm system

Citing police sources, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the perpetrators broke into the museum late in the evening of August 15. They attempted to take five wooden panels from the famous 15th-century Polyptych of St. Gregory but lost two of them along the way. The thieves also managed to remove a double-sided painting depicting the Madonna and Christ crowned with thorns from an armored display case.

The report noted that the perpetrators appeared to be well acquainted with the museum's layout, having bypassed the alarm system and other security measures and left the building before security staff and police arrived.

Only months before the theft, the Italian government had purchased another Antonello da Messina painting, "Ecce Homo," at a New York auction for nearly $15 million, according to AFP.

Antonello da Messina was born between 1425 and 1435 and died in 1479. He is regarded as the most significant Sicilian painter of the 15th century. Among his best-known works are "Salvator Mundi," "Saint Sebastian" and "Saint Jerome in His Study."