Italian Museum Heist: Millions in 15th-Century Art Stolen

Four 15th-century artworks by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from the Regional Museum of Messina in Sicily, Italy. The theft includes the only work by the artist that remained in his hometown, along with a small painting acquired two decades ago.

Among the stolen items were five wooden panels forming an altarpiece measuring 170 cm by 203 cm, known as the Polittico di San Gregorio. The robbers abandoned two of the panels just outside the museum. The altar originally consisted of six panels and was intended for a local monastery destroyed in the 1908 Messina earthquake. Another stolen piece is a double-sided painting depicting the Virgin and Child with a Franciscan monk on one side, and Jesus on the reverse.

Security footage shows masked robbers breaking through a museum window and entering with flashlights. They bypassed several other artworks to reach the specific room, removed the paintings from the walls, and exited through the same window.

Messina Mayor Federico Basile told Reuters that the break-in occurred on Saturday, while the city was celebrating the Feast of the Assumption. During the festivities, residents accompanied a chariot carrying statues of the Virgin, Jesus, and angels in a long procession known as the "Vara."

Enzo Caruso, a local council member, suggested that the 15-million-dollar valuation of the works likely made the museum a target. He noted that the local community was "completely shocked" by the news.

"This was almost certainly a theft on order," Caruso stated.

In February, the Italian Ministry of Culture purchased another double-sided painting by the artist, known as "Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man"), from Sotheby's shortly before it was set for auction. Antonello da Messina was born in the region around 1430 and trained in Naples, where he was influenced by Flemish masters. He returned to Messina in 1457, where he worked until 1474.