The thieves broke into Messina Regional Museum on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, where locals gather for a heartfelt parade around town.
Born around 1430, Antonello da Messina is considered one of the most important figures of Italy’s early Renaissance. With his roots in the Sicilian city of Messina, Antonello degli Antoni trained in Naples, where he studied the works of Flemish artists, whose influence is apparent in his masterful use of oil paint and in the striking realism of his portraits.
Paintings such as Virgin Annunciale (1476), showing Mary interrupted at her reading by the Angel of the Annunciation, and Portrait of a Man (1475), showing a cropped three-quarter profile of a man from the upper-middle class, have mesmerized art historians for their illumination technique and sense of realism.
Many of Antonello da Messina’s works, such as different renditions of Portrait of Man, are currently preserved in some of the most important museums around the world including the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London. Yet, some of his notable works have never left his hometown of Messina, a rare occurrence for the works of a world-renowned Renaissance master.
Part of Antonello da Messina’s homebound works include the Saint Gregory Polyptych (1473) and a small tablet depicting the Pietà, probably commissioned for private worship, both preserved at the Regional Museum of Messina. Most locals feel a sense of connection and identity tied to these home-based artworks by the city’s most famous master. Last Sunday, Messina woke up to the shocking news that their city’s iconic artworks had been stolen.
Three of the five panels of the Saint Gregory Polyptych and the panel of the Pietà were taken by a group of four men. The thieves planned the burglary during the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, as locals were gathered for a heartfelt procession with people parading colorful statues of the Virgin, Jesus, and angels throughout the city.
Authorities believe that thieves may have targeted works by the Sicilian master following the high profile acquisition of Da Messina’s “Ecce Homo / Saint Jerome in Penitence,” which was secured by the Italian state at an auction in New York last February for nearly 15 million dollars.
“The recent spotlight on the €15 million purchase of a work by Antonello has certainly piqued the interest of countless art thieves. It’s unimaginable that something like this could happen in Messina, a heist almost out of a movie like the one at the Louvre,”Messina’s City Councilor for Culture, Enzo Caruso, told Italian news agency Rai News. “Two of the most important works we hold in our museum, and especially in Antonello’s hometown, are being stolen. Something like this is a tragedy. These are priceless works.”
The Polyptych of Saint Gregory, also known as the Polyptych of the Rosary, was commissioned from Antonello da Messina by Fabria Cirino, Abbess of the monastery of Santa Maria Extra Moenia near Rome. It was originally composed of six panels depicting, in the center, the Madonna Enthroned with Child and Crown-Holding Angels. On the sides are Saints Gregory and Benedict, and in the upper register are the Annunciation Angel and the Virgin of the Annunciation. A central panel has been lost following an earthquake in 1908.
Three of the five remaining panels have been stolen, while two were found lying on a wall near the museum by passersby.
“Stealing works of this value strikes not only at the artistic heritage, but also at the memory, culture, and identity of the Messina community,” Messina’s Mayor Federico Basile told Rai News, expressing confidence that the police will soon return the stolen works to their native home. Italian authorities have recently recovered artworks by Cezanne, Renoir, and Matisse that had been stolen from an art foundation in the northern Italian city of Parma in March. Messina now hope for a similar happy ending.
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