IT is a historic piece of art that stood the test of time…until a tourist broke it while getting his picture taken and the 19th century sculpture is far from the first artwork to suffer such a fate.

What happened?

An Austrian tourist visiting Italy’s Gipsoteca Museum in Possagno sat on the statue of noblewoman Paolina Bonaparte - Napoleon’s sister - to strike a pose for a photograph, breaking three toes off the plaster sculpture by Antonio Canova. The statue was around 200-years-old and investigators said “there could be further damage to the base of the sculpture”.

Did he apologise?

The museum said that the tourist moved quickly away from the exhibit without telling anyone and staff were only alerted after an alarm sounded. He was traced by police using information left with the museum for coronavirus contact tracing purposes. He told investigators it had been a “stupid move”, offered to pay for repairs and said: “I apologise in every way possible.”

Selfie’s are a serious risk?

In 2015, a pair of tourists in the town of Cremona in Italy clambered on to a monument to take a selfie and a large marble crown which topped the 18th century "Statue of the Two Hercules" sculpture crashed to the ground.

Dali?

In 2018, artworks by Salvador Dali and Francisco Goya were sent crashing to the floor after a group of four women knocked a stand over while taking selfies at Glavny Prospekt International Arts Centre in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. The stand had been carrying a Goya etching and Dali’s interpretation of it. Goya’s work had its frame and glass broken, while Dali’s suffered some damage to the work itself.

Accidents happen?

In 2010, a woman visiting the Met in New York lost her balance and fell on Picasso's 1905 work, The Actor, causing a six inch rip in the canvas. The tear was not in the heart of the painting and it was restored.

Qing?

In 2006, three Qing Dynasty Vases - approximately 300 years old - were on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge when a 6ft man fell down the stairs and crashed into a windowsill, colliding with the vases, then costing between $400,000 to $500,000. They were shattered to pieces and the man, Nick Flynn, then 42, was banned from the museum. The vases were painstakingly put back together.

It’s not just artwork at risk from selfies and snaps?

One of the world's most important historical sites, Hadrian's Wall, has suffered at the feet of selfie takers, with reports last year that sections of the 73-mile-long Roman structure were collapsing after being repeatedly climbed on by tourists trying to take the perfect photographs.

Meanwhile, back in Italy?

The Gipsoteca’s director, Moira Mascotto, said officials are working to restore the broken toes on the Canova, adding: “Adopting responsible behaviour within the museum while respecting the works and goods preserved in it is not only a civic duty, but a sign of respect for what our history and culture testifies”.