Bring it back': Sicilians say Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo belongs with them

"levelled much of the city. Along with homes, churches and monuments, invaluable historical sources and documents were lost, including works by Messina's greatest son, Antonello da Messina, the artist widely credited with transforming the course of Renaissance art. In the space of half a minute, a city's memory and that of one of the greatest painters in history was buried alongside its people."

"Last Monday, the Italian government quietly secured a rare Renaissance masterpiece at auction in New York, spending $14.9m on an Ecce Homo by Antonello. The painting, sold at Sotheby's, is an intensely human portrait of the suffering Christ, believed to have been completed about 1460. Museums across Italy are now holding their breath as the culture ministry deliberates over where the work will be displayed. Among the frontrunners are Milan's Pinacoteca di Brera and Venice's Gallerie dell'Accademia heavyweights of the Italian museum circuit."

"Strikingly absent from the shortlist is Messina the Sicilian port city where Antonello was born and where many art historians argue the painting's return would carry the greatest symbolic force. Since the acquisition, a political tussle has flared over whether the Ecce Homo should be shown in Messina. For local officials, bringing the canvas home would be an act of historical redress a partial restoration of what catastrophe once swept away. Antonello is a son of Messina; he belongs to this land,"

On 28 December 1908, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Messina, killing half the population and leveling much of the city in 37 seconds. The disaster destroyed homes, churches, monuments, and invaluable historical sources, including works by Antonello da Messina. The Italian government purchased a rare Renaissance Ecce Homo by Antonello at Sotheby's in New York for $14.9m. The painting is an intensely human portrait of the suffering Christ, believed completed around 1460. The culture ministry is deciding where to display the work, with Milan, Venice and Naples among contenders. Messina is absent from the shortlist, sparking a political dispute and calls for the canvas to return as an act of historical redress.

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