Three armed robbers broke into Verona’s Castelvecchio Museum on November 19 and stole 17 paintings worth a total of €15 million.
According to authorities, the thieves entered the museum after it had closed to the public, when most of the staff had left. The remote alarm system with the police station had not been activated yet. The masked bandits tied up the cashier and the armed guard, the only two people left in the building. They then used the guard's car to flee. Authorities believe the robbery was carried out to order by a private collector as it would be impossible to sell these high-profile paintings legitimately.
According to the director of the museum, of the 17 stolen paintings, 11 are considered masterpieces, while the rest are works of lesser value. The masterpieces include Tintoretto’s “Male Portrait” and Rubens’ “Portrait of a Lady”. Other stolen paintings include works by Mantegna, Jacopo Bellini, Pisanello, Giovanni Francesco Caroto and Hans de Jode.
Leading Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi said the theft was “a real disaster for Italian art. It’s one of the gravest art thefts ever.”
The incident, which is being investigated by the Carabinieri’s special art theft unit, has called into question the low levels of security in many Italian museums, especially those in medium-size towns, like Verona.
The Castelvecchio Museum is located inside Castelvecchio (meaning 'old castle'), the most important military fortress of the Scaliger dynasty, which ruled Verona in the Middle Ages. The museum displays a collection of sculptures, statues, paintings, ancient weapons, ceramics, goldworks, miniatures and some old bells.
