4 Renaissance paintings stolen from museum in Italy
CBS News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Four Renaissance paintings of extraordinary value, including three panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych and a double-sided panel of The Madonna and Child by Antonello da Messina, were stolen from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina in Sicily.
- The San Gregorio Polyptych, originally composed of at least five sections, had been damaged in a 1908 earthquake, while The Madonna and Child painting was valued at over $300,000 in a 2003 auction.
- Italy's Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, condemned the theft, emphasizing the pieces' significant cultural heritage value, while Messina's mayor described the act as heinous and expressed outrage, especially since it occurred during local celebrations honoring the Virgin Mary.
- Authorities are seeking to identify those responsible and recover the stolen artworks, with local officials affirming their commitment to protecting Messina's historical legacy.
- The theft follows Italy's recent high-profile acquisition of another Antonello da Messina work, "Ecce Homo," purchased for nearly $15 million at a New York auction earlier this year.
