Antonello da Messina works stolen as Messina celebrates Ferragosto

ROME – Four Renaissance paintings were stolen from the MuMe museum in Messina, Sicily, on Saturday evening, as the city celebrated Ferragosto.

The paintings, which include three panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel depicting the Madonna and Child, are by 15th-century artist Antonello da Messina. The San Gregorio Polyptych depicts the Madonna and Christ and consists of five panels. Two of the stolen panels were reportedly left on a nearby wall after the thieves fled the scene.

  The director of the museum, Marisa Mercuro expressed her shock at the theft, highlighting the value of the works stolen, “they were two of the most famous and important works by Antonello da Messina.”

    Video surveillance footage, alarms and security systems are all said to have been functional in the room where the theft took place according to the museum, and the footage has been passed on to police to aid the investigation.

  The theft, which took place at around 9.50pm as Messina marked Ferragosto with a procession and a moment of remembrance.

 “On a day so deeply rooted in our identity and our community, such an act wounds the sensibilities of Messina and its people even more deeply,” Messina mayor Federico Basile said.

  The theft comes days after Italian police recovered three paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse following their theft back in March of this year.

The MuMe has been ordered to close on Sunday for investigations to take place.

lw