Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence

[4] On the night of 17–18 October 1969,[5] two thieves stole the painting from its home in the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo.

[2] The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) listed it among their "Top Ten Art Crimes" in 2005.

[1] Theories differ on whether the thieves were amateurs or professionals,[5][10] but investigators generally agree that the Sicilian Mafia has largely been responsible for its subsequent movements.

[1] He claimed that the painting was stolen on commission, and the private buyer wept and called off the sale when he saw how damaged it was from the robbery.

[1][8] A Carabinieri art protection unit in Rome believed Mannoia was recalling a different painting and devised another theory.

[5] They believe the robbery was carried out by amateurs who learned about the painting's value on a television program about artifacts in Italy that aired a few weeks before.

The informant claims Badalamenti sold the painting to a Swiss dealer and told him it would be cut into pieces for transportation.

[1][8] Another theory claims that it was destroyed in the 1980 Irpinia earthquake in southern Italy, shortly before a planned black market sale.

[4][8] In 2015, television broadcasting company Sky commissioned a replica to replace an enlarged photograph that hung in the altar.