Several works by Antonello da Messina were stolen overnight from the Regional Museum of Messina. Thieves took three panels from the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided Madonna and Christ panel removed from a secured case. Authorities say alarms were bypassed and police are reconstructing the sequence of events. Museum director Marisa Mercurio described the theft as a profound loss for the museum, the city and the wider art world.
Major Theft: Antonello da Messina Masterpieces Stolen From Regional Museum in Messina
FILE PHOTO - An Italian police vehicle is parked in in Rome. (is associated with: «Antonello da Messina masterpieces stolen from Sicilian museum») Christoph Sator/dpa
Several irreplaceable works by Renaissance master Antonello da Messina have been stolen from the Regional Museum of Messina, the city administration said on Sunday.
Unknown intruders broke into the museum's exhibition rooms overnight and removed multiple pieces, authorities reported. Officials say the thieves took three of the five panels from the famed San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel depicting the Madonna and Christ. The double-sided work was taken from inside a secured display case.
Investigators described the break-in as carried out with precision: the perpetrators were reportedly able to bypass alarm systems to gain access to the exhibition spaces. Police are now working to reconstruct the sequence of events and to gather clues that could identify those responsible.
"We are shaken by what has happened," museum director Marisa Mercurio said after the theft. She called it "a great loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world."
Why This Matters
Antonello da Messina (c. 1430–1479), born in Messina, is regarded as one of the foremost painters of the early Renaissance and a pivotal figure in 15th-century Italian art. Earlier this year the Italian state intervened to buy his famous painting Ecce Homo for about €12 million, preventing its sale at Sotheby's and keeping it in Italy.
The stolen panels are not only of profound cultural value to Messina but also to the international art-historical community. Police investigations are ongoing; authorities have not yet released details about suspects or possible motives.
Updates will follow as investigators release more information and efforts continue to recover the stolen works.
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