Antonello da Messina Works Stolen From Sicilian Museum

Four of the most important works by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen during a national holiday from a museum in the Sicilian port city of Messina, the Guardian reported on Sunday. The theft of the paintings, which took place overnight on August 15, was described by local officials as a wound to the historical memory and cultural identity of the city.

According to France 24, the thieves took three panels from the Polittico di San Gregorio, depriving Messina of part of the only surviving works by the painter still held in his hometown. The BBC reported that the works were taken without alarms being triggered, raising suspicion of a professional operation.