Thieves steal four Antonello da Messina works from Messina's MuMe museum
Thieves bypassed security systems at Messina's MuMe museum on the night of 15 August, stealing three panels from the Polittico di San Gregorio and a rare bifronte tablet attributed to Renaissance master Antonello da Messina.
The theft
On the evening of 15 August 2026, around 21:50, thieves broke into the exhibition halls of the MuMe, the Museo Regionale Interdisciplinare di Messina also known as the Museo Accascina, bypassing alarm systems and security measures. They stole four works attributed to the Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina: three of the five surviving panels of the Polittico di San Gregorio and a small bifronte tablet depicting the Madonna and Christ in Pietà. The tablet, measuring just 16 by 12 cm, was extracted directly from a locked display case. Investigators described the operation as "chirurgico" (surgical) in its precision. During their escape, the thieves left behind two of the Polittico's panels.
The timing was deliberate. The theft occurred on Ferragosto, Italy's 15 August national holiday, while the city of Messina was occupied with the traditional Vara procession, a large votive float dedicated to the Madonna dell'Assunta. As reported by Gazzetta del Sud, the holiday calm around the museum was compounded by the general distraction of the procession celebrations, providing cover for the criminals.
- Thieves bypass alarms and steal four works attributed to Antonello da Messina from MuMe
- Police and forensic specialists arrive on scene and begin technical surveys
- Museum closed to public; investigation continues with regional authorities informed
The stolen works
The Polittico di San Gregorio, also called the Polittico del Rosario, was dated 1473 and originally commissioned by Fabria Cirino, abbess of the monastery of Santa Maria extra moenia, for the convent church. It originally comprised six panels: a central Madonna Enthroned with Child and crown-bearing angels, known as the Madonna del Rosario, flanked by Saints Gregory and Benedict, with the Announcing Angel and the Announced Virgin in the upper register. The central panel of the cyma, probably depicting the Dead Christ supported by Angels, was already lost. Of the five surviving panels, three were taken.
The bifronte tablet depicts the Madonna with the blessing Child and a Franciscan friar in adoration on the front, and Christ in Pietà on the reverse. The work was attributed to Antonello in 2003 and sold that year by Christie's auction house to the Regione Sicilia, from the collection of Wilhelm Soldan, where it had been held since 1930. Scholars dated it to between 1465 and 1474 based on stylistic comparisons with Antonello's confirmed production. Its small dimensions suggest it was originally intended for private devotion.
- Panels stolen
- 3 panels
- Panels left behind in escape
- 2 panels
Response and investigation
Police and forensic specialists arrived on the scene immediately and began technical surveys to reconstruct the break-in and collect fingerprints and traces. The museum's director, Marisa Mercurio, expressed the institution's dismay.
We are shocked by what happened, they were two of the most important and well-known works by Antonello da Messina. A great loss for the museum, for the city, the community and the art world.
Mercurio added that investigations are ongoing and expressed hope that the perpetrators would be caught, noting that the thieves managed to elude all alarm and security systems. The museum was closed to the public on 16 August to allow forensic work to continue. Regional authorities were informed immediately.
