A 17th-century portrait of Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici was damaged when a tourist tried to take a picture with the work for social media on Saturday at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy.
On a visit to the museum, the young Italian man in question asked his girlfriend to take a photo of him with the oil painting, attempting to mimic the prince’s pose.
As he stepped closer to the artwork, however, the man tripped over a one-foot-tall barrier intended to keep distance between visitors and the work. When he put his hand out to catch himself, the man landed on the panting and tore the canvas. The incident was caught on a security camera.
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The man has since been identified and reported to police. In addition to criminal charges, he may also have to cover for the cost of repairs to the painting.
“A tourist who wanted to create some sort of meme in front of the painting, striking the same pose as the Medici prince, ripped the canvas of the artwork,” the director of the Uffizi Simone Verde told the Telegraph.
“The problem of visitors coming to museums to create memes or take selfies for social media is now rampant. We put in place very precise rules to try to impede behaviour that is not compatible with respect for our cultural heritage,” he added.
Ferdinando de’ Medici was the grand prince of Tuscany from 1670 through 1713. He was known as a patron of music, in particular funding the invention of the piano by instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori. During his time, Ferdinando helped make Florence a hub for music and its practioners.
The Medici family was rose to power in Florence during the Renaissance, where they remained highly influential through the 18th century. Though they made their money in banking, they were known for their political ruling and patronage of the arts.
The portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici was painted by Anton Domenico Gabbiani around 1690. It was on display as part of the exhibition “Florence and Europe: Arts of the 18th Century at the Uffizi”, which recently opened on May 28 and is now closed until July 2. The show is expected to reopen and run through November 28, as scheduled.
This follows news of a man sitting on a breaking a crystal-encrusted Van Gogh chair at the Palazzo Maffei Museum in Verona just last week.