An Austrian man posed for a photo with a 200-year-old plaster cast model of Antonio Canova’s statue of Paolina Bonaparte. In the process of taking a photo, he snapped off three of the statues toes according to CNN.
Authorities confirmed to CNN that the incident happened in northern Italy at the Gipsoteca Museum in Possagno.
Tourist snaps toes off statue while posing for photo
😱😬😳The 200-year-old plaster cast model of Antonio #Canova‘s statue of Paolina #Bonaparte was damaged in the incident on July 31 at the #Gipsoteca Museum in #Possagno, northern #Italyhttps://t.co/MFp7z6XFDs pic.twitter.com/aOdeijWP9M
— Sarah (@Sarah404BC) August 4, 2020
Surveillance footage shows the man jumping onto the base of the statue, which caused the toes to break off. The statue is an original plaster cast model of a marble statue that Canova carved. The marble statue is located in Rome in the Borghese Gallery. Canova (1757-1822) was renowned for his marble statues.
The man was one of a group of 8 Austrian tourists, police told CNN. He had moved away from the group to take a selfie ‘sprawled over the statue’.
Museum experts are still investigating whether there is more damage to the sculpture.
The president of the Antonio Canova Foundation, Vittorio Sgarbi, said in a Facebook post that the man should not ‘remain unpunished and return to his homeland. The scarring of a Canova is unacceptable.’
Police were able to identify the man as museum visitors have to sign in upon arrival as a protocol for track and tracing if there is a coronavirus outbreak tied to the museum.
Image credit:Twitter/SeeRomeWithMe
