Tourist Breaks Off Toes Of 19th-Century Statue During Photo Moment At Museum
Image via Paolo Gallo / Shutterstock.com
An Austrian tourist toed the line while posing for a selfie with 19th-century sculptor Antonio Canova’s marble Paolina Bonaparte statue at the Gipsoteca Museum in Possagno in northern Italy, snapping off some of the monument’s toes.
The 50-year-old, whose name has not been revealed publicly, was quickly identified by law enforcement as museum visitors are to provide their personal information for contact tracing as a safety measure in the COVID-19 crisis.
Surveillance footage showed the visitor jumping up onto the base of the 200-year-old original plaster cast sculpture for a photo moment, which caused a few toes on its right foot to shatter. Police clarified with CNN that he had “sprawled over the statue” to strike the pose.
While the most telling destruction was made to the statue’s digits, museum experts said “there could be further damage.”
According to a press release, law enforcers contacted a woman who identified herself to be the wife of the tourist after the event. She broke down and admitted her husband was behind the damage.
The man also showed remorse over the incident and called the selfie attempt a “stupid move.”
The destruction has naturally upset art lovers and supporters of Antonio Canova. Vittorio Sgarbi, president of the Antonio Canova Foundation, for one, does not want the man to get away scot-free from “the scarring of a Canova,” expressing on Facebook that he feels the tourist should not “remain unpunished and return to his homeland” so easily.
DAMAGE DONE: A tourist broke three toes off a 19th century sculpture while posing for a photo at a museum in northern Italy, authorities say.
— ABC News (@ABC) August 4, 2020
The museum dedicated to the work of Antonio Canova features the sculptor's original plaster cast models. https://t.co/6T6R5BrE7d pic.twitter.com/dgH54Nn6eY
[via CNN, cover image via Paolo Gallo / Shutterstock.com]
Also check out these recent news
