Four artworks by the 15th-century painter Antonello da Messina were reported stolen from the Museo Nacional del Messina, according to Italian media that quoted the museum’s director.
This theft has left Messina deprived of some of the few remaining pieces by the Renaissance artist in his native city, including several smaller paintings that had been acquired by the Sicilian region around two decades ago.
Museum officials, when contacted by Reuters, stated they were unable to provide further details.
Reports indicate that the thieves broke into the museum on the night of August 15, which coincides with a public holiday in Italy during the busy summer period.
Notably, they took three of the last five panels that comprise the altarpiece known as “The Politics of San Gregorio.”
This altarpiece was originally made up of six panels and was meant for a local monastery called Monastero San Gregorio. Unfortunately, that monastery was destroyed during the Messina earthquake in 1908. It’s worth mentioning that this altarpiece was the only piece from the Sicilian artist who never left his homeland.
The thieves also removed a fourth artwork from a secure display case, which was a small double-sided painting showing the Virgin and Child on one side and a Franciscan friar with Christ on the other.
This piece was part of a collection owned by Wilhelm Soldan and had been sold to Sicily by Christie’s in 2003, attributed to Antonello da Messina.
This incident comes on the heels of a successful recovery by Italian police on Friday, who located three paintings by French artists Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse that were previously stolen from a museum near Parma back in March.
Antonello da Messina, born around 1430, was trained in Naples and influenced by Provençal and Flemish artists, which is apparent in his works. He returned to Messina in 1457, where he remained until his death in 1474.
