Four priceless renaissance paintings stolen from Italian museum in Sicily
Three of the five surviving panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio were taken
Four Renaissance paintings of “extraordinary value” have been stolen from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina in Sicily, Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has confirmed.
The stolen works include three panels from the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double-sided panel depicting the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà. All four works are attributed to renowned 15th-century Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina.
Italian police have launched an investigation into the theft, focusing on how the perpetrators managed to enter the museum without setting off its alarm system and identifying those behind the operation.
According to Italian news agency Ansa, investigators suspect the paintings may have been stolen to order for buyers in the illegal art market. The Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà was reportedly taken directly from a secured display case, while all the stolen works were painted on wooden panels, making them difficult to conceal or transport by simply rolling them up.
Museum director Marisa Mercurio said the theft is believed to have taken place at around 9:50pm local time on Saturday.
She described the incident as a devastating loss for the museum, the city of Messina, the local community and the wider art world.
Antonello da Messina, who lived and worked in Sicily during the 15th century, is regarded as one of the leading painters of the early Renaissance.
His San Gregorio Polyptych, created in 1473, portrays the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, alongside Saints Gregory and Benedict and several angels. Five panels from the original artwork are known to have survived.
The stolen double-sided panel, believed to have been painted around the same period, shows the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ on one side and Christ depicted after death on the other. Its small size suggests it may have been created for private religious devotion.
Messina Mayor Federico Basile condemned the theft, calling it a serious attack on the city’s cultural heritage and insisting that the community would not allow its history to be lost.
The theft comes shortly after Italy’s specialist art crime police recovered three paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse that had been stolen from a museum near Parma earlier in the year. The recovered works were valued at about €9 million combined.
The latest incident also adds to growing concerns over museum security in Europe, following last year’s high-profile Louvre heist in Paris, in which thieves escaped with historic jewellery reportedly worth €88 million.
Source: BBC
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