Four works by the 15th-century master Antonello da Messina were stolen from the Regional Museum of Messina in Sicily during the night of 15 August — three panels from the San Gregorio polyptych and a double-sided panel. According to Italian media reports, the alarm system and CCTV were triggered, and the police are examining the footage and investigating the possibility that the theft was commissioned.
Briefly about the main points
- Four works by Antonello da Messina have gone missing from the museum.
- Among them is the central panel of the San Gregorio polyptych.
- CCTV cameras captured the incident, and investigators are analysing the footage.
- The thieves left two panels depicting saints by the fence.
Which works were removed from the collection?
Among the items stolen were the central panel of the San Gregorio polyptych, depicting the Madonna, as well as the two upper side panels: «The Archangel Gabriel» and «The Annunciation». The fourth work is a double-sided panel, one side of which depicts the Madonna and Child with a Franciscan friar in adoration, and the other side depicts Christ in the Pietà.
These were the only works by Antonello da Messina preserved in his home town. The polyptych was commissioned by the monastery in 1473; it originally consisted of six panels, but one of them had been lost even before the recent robbery. Since 2013, the work has held the status of an immovable cultural asset of the region of Sicily.
The break-in at the museum and the course of the investigation
According to ANSA, the intruders may have gained access to the building via a side entrance by cutting through part of the grille. They smashed the security display case in which a double-sided board was kept.
As they fled, the attackers left two other panels from the polyptych — depicting Saints Benedict and Gregory — behind the museum fence on Via della Libertà. They presumably abandoned them when passers-by appeared.
The alarm went off immediately, and CCTV cameras captured the robbery. Investigators are examining the footage to establish the circumstances of the break-in and identify those involved in the crime. The Governor of Sicily, Renato Schifani, stated that the alarm and CCTV systems were operational, announced the launch of an internal investigation and pledged to cooperate with the inquiry.
Law enforcement officers are investigating the possibility that the theft was commissioned. This theory is linked, in particular, to the fact that the stolen works were painted on wooden panels and could not have been rolled up discreetly for transport. However, the motive for the crime and the perpetrators have not yet been identified.
