Four pieces of art by Antonello da Messina, a renowned 15th-century painter, were stolen from the Museo Regionale di Messina, as confirmed by Italy’s culture minister on Sunday. The Minister, Alessandro Giuli, expressed shock and sadness upon learning of the theft. This incident marks a significant loss for Messina, as it includes parts of the only surviving works by the Renaissance artist in his hometown and a painting acquired by the Sicilian Region twenty years ago.
The theft occurred on a national holiday in Italy, specifically on Saturday night, according to media reports. Marisa Mercurio, the museum director, described the event as devastating, noting that the theft took place just before 10 p.m. She emphasized the importance of the stolen artworks, referring to them as Antonello da Messina’s most crucial and well-known pieces.
Enzo Caruso, a local councilor responsible for culture, likened the incident to a movie plot. He speculated that the recent purchase of a Messina artwork by the Italian state for $15 million earlier this year might have attracted the attention of the thieves. The stolen items included three panels from an altarpiece named ‘Polittico di San Gregorio,’ which originally consisted of six panels and was meant for a local monastery destroyed during Messina’s 1908 earthquake.
In addition to the altarpiece panels, a small two-sided painting depicting the Virgin with Child and a Franciscan monk on one side and Christ on the other was also taken from a secure display case. This artwork was part of the Wilhelm Soldan collection, sold to the Sicilian Region in 2003 and attributed to the artist in the same year.
Following the theft, concerns were raised about the potential challenges in selling such recognizable artworks through legitimate channels. Art-crime analyst Lynda Albertson highlighted the difficulty of selling stolen masterpieces like those by Antonello da Messina, suggesting that the thieves may face obstacles in monetizing their loot. She also mentioned the possibility of such artworks being used as collateral for illicit activities among criminals.
Antonello da Messina, born around 1430, received his training in Naples and returned to Messina in 1457, where he continued his artistic endeavors until 1474. The theft of the artworks occurred shortly after Italian police recovered three paintings by French masters that were stolen from a museum near Parma earlier in the year.