A museum with paintings by a Renaissance genius, compared to Raphael, was robbed in Italy. Why were the thieves tempted by these particular works?
Four works by the greatest 15th-century master Antonello da Messina were stolen from the regional museum in Messina, Sicily. The thieves' attention was drawn to the artworks by the sale of another of the artist's works at auction for a record sum.
"Polyptych of San Gregorio" (1473) — the only monumental work by Antonello da Messina that remained in his hometown. Photo: Museo Regionale Accascina Messina
As reported by The Guardian, thieves broke into the Regional Museum of Messina (MuMe) on the evening of August 15. The criminals took advantage of the fact that all police and city residents' attention was focused on the national holiday of Ferragosto and a local religious festival. Acting "with surgical precision," a group of three people bypassed complex alarm systems and broke into armored display cases.
One of the most iconic works of the early Italian Renaissance, the "Polyptych of San Gregorio," created around 1473, fell victim to the robbers. This is the only monumental work by the artist that never left his native Messina. Originally, the altarpiece consisted of six panels, but even before the 1908 earthquake, which destroyed the commissioning monastery, one part was lost. Now, the thieves have taken three more panels out of the five surviving ones.
According to information from the Italian agency Rai News, during their escape, the criminals were apparently startled by something and abandoned two of the six stolen panels near the museum fence.
Two of the stolen polyptych panels, abandoned by the thieves near the museum fence. Photo: TGR/Sicilia
The fourth stolen work was a rare double-sided miniature (measuring only 16 by 12 cm). One side depicts "Madonna with Child and a Franciscan Monk," the other "Christ in the Tomb."
As noted by CBS News, this work, intended for private worship, was purchased by the Sicilian government at a Christie's auction in 2003 for over $300,000, and was kept in a special armored capsule.
The stolen double-sided miniature. Despite its microscopic size (16x12 cm), it was one of the most valuable works in the exhibition. Photo: Museo Regionale Accascina Messina
"This is an extremely serious loss," said museum director Marisa Mercurio. "The stolen works have immense cultural, artistic, and symbolic significance not only for Messina but for all of Sicily."
Quattrocento Revolutionary
Antonello da Messina (c. 1429–1479) is considered the first great master of the Renaissance in Southern Italy. While studying in Naples, he became acquainted with the works of Netherlandish artists, particularly Jan van Eyck, and was the person who brought the technique of pure oil painting to Italian art.
"Saint Jerome in His Study." Circa 1474. National Gallery, London. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Oil paints allowed Antonello to achieve effects impossible with traditional tempera: incredible softness of chiaroscuro (sfumato), precision in details, and depth of landscape backgrounds. In addition, he revolutionized portrait painting. Before him, Italians predominantly painted models in profile, like on medallions. Antonello, however, began to use a three-quarter turn with the model's direct gaze at the viewer, which added an unprecedented psychological depth to the portraits. Among his most famous masterpieces are "Saint Sebastian" (preserved in Dresden) and "Saint Jerome in His Study" (National Gallery, London).
Why Antonello?
The criminals' choice was hardly accidental. Interest in the works of the Sicilian master has recently sharply increased in the international art market.
In February 2026, the Italian government acquired another work by Antonello — "Ecce Homo" — at a Sotheby's auction in New York for a record $14.9 million. This public transaction could have attracted the attention of the criminal underworld and demonstrated to potential clients the real value of even small canvases by the master.
The investigation is considering several theories, and, as reported by the Italian publication Il Sole 24 Ore, the main one is a commissioned theft for the black art market or for a specific private collector. The fact that the criminals exclusively targeted Antonello's works, which were painted on wooden panels and could not be rolled up like canvases, indicates precisely planned logistics and the group's professionalism.
The irony of the situation is that this high-profile theft occurred literally the day after Italian police proudly reported the successful return of three other paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Matisse, previously stolen from a private museum near Parma.