Four Antonello da Messina works stolen from Sicilian museum

Four of the most significant surviving works by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen overnight from the Museo Regionale in the Sicilian port city of Messina, according to the Guardian. The theft occurred during the August 15 national holiday, as the city held celebrations of the Virgin Mary, and deprived Messina of part of the only works by the painter still held in his hometown.

The thieves took three panels from the Polittico di San Gregorio, a multi-panel altarpiece, along with a fourth work, France 24 reported. The BBC noted the paintings were removed without alarms being triggered, raising suspicion of a professional operation. Local officials expressed dismay and sadness, describing the loss as a wound to the city's historical memory and cultural identity, CBS News reported.

The heist is the second major art theft in Italy within five months, following the March robbery of Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse works from the Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma, which police recovered in August. Italian authorities have not yet named suspects in the Messina case.

The theft has revived questions about security at Italy's regional museums, many of which hold irreplaceable works in buildings not designed to modern conservation and protection standards. The Guardian's report noted the works' importance to Messina's cultural heritage, where Antonello da Messina was born and trained.