Four rare Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina are stolen from the regional museum of Messina (MuMe) in the Sicilian port city of Messina. The theft takes place on Saturday evening, during a national holiday period around Ferragosto, Italy’s 15 August celebrations.
According to reporting, the timing may be linked to the city’s attention being focused on La Vara, a large religious festival held in Messina on 15 August. The Guardian reports that the thieves likely take advantage of the public holiday context and that the paintings are among the museum’s most significant works by the 15th-century artist.
Other coverage describes the number of works stolen and identifies them as paintings by Antonello da Messina, though one outlet characterizes them differently in terms of the artist’s century. The reports also note that the theft follows a separate recent recovery in Italy, as police have recently recovered paintings by other well-known artists, including works by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse.
