Image source, ReutersImage caption, Three of the five surviving panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio were taken.
Quatro pinturas renascentistas de "valor extraordinário" foram roubadas de um museu na Sicília, disse o ministro da Cultura da Itália.
Alessandro Giuli confirmed that three panels of the Polyptych of San Gregorio and a double-sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà, all attributed to Antonello da Messina, were taken from the Regional Interdisciplinary Museum of Messina on Saturday night.
Police are now probing how the thieves were able to enter the museum without triggering its alarms and who may have been responsible.
The incident is the latest in a string of museum heists across Europe that have led to a growing number of priceless works disappearing from public view.
Investigators are working on the initial suspicion that the paintings were stolen to order by black market art thieves, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
Relatou que a Madonna e Cristo em Pietà foi removida diretamente de dentro de uma vitrine segura, enquanto todas as pinturas levadas estavam em painéis de madeira, impedindo que elas fossem facilmente enroladas.
The museum's director Marisa Mercurio said the theft was thought to have occurred around 21:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Saturday.
We are shocked by what happened," she told Ansa, describing it as "a great loss for the museum, for the city, the community and the art world.
Antonello da Messina was a 15th Century painter born and raised on Sicily, who would go on to become one of the early Renaissance period's master painters.
His San Gregorio Polyptych, painted in 1473, depicts the Virgin Mary holding an infant Jesus Christ, flanked by St Gregory and St Benedict as well as several angels.
A obra de arte, da qual sobrevivem cinco painéis, foi encomendada para o mosteiro de Santa Maria.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, A double-sided panel of the Madonna with Child and Christ in Pietà was also stolen.
Meanwhile, his double-panel showing an infant Christ blessing a follower while being held by the Virgin Mary on one side and an adult Christ in death on the other was painted around the same time, though exactly when is unclear.
Its small size suggests it was originally used for private worship.
Federico Basile, the mayor of Messina, said he was "deeply outraged" by the "heinous criminal act.
Uma herança que pertence a todos os habitantes de Messina foi violada, disse ele. Messina não deixará que sua história seja roubada.
The theft comes just days after Italy's specialist art crime unit announced it had recovered three artworks stolen from a museum near Parma earlier this year.
The paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse had a combined worth of €9m (£7. 8m) and were taken by a gang in a matter of minutes, with the museum's alarm system preventing them from taking more.
The security of priceless artworks and artefacts in European museums was thrown into question late last year when a gang of thieves broke into the Louvre in Paris in broad daylight, making off with €88m worth of historic jewellery.
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de BBC World, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
