In the kind of absurd “accident” that would make even the most patient museum curator clutch their pearls – or perhaps, their Swarovski crystals – a tourist visiting Italy’s Palazzo Maffei in Verona recently left behind more than just memories, after crushing a delicate, crystal-encrusted chair and making a hasty exit.
Captured on surveillance video (and now immortalised on Facebook for all to see), the visitor can be seen plonking down onto Nicola Bolla’s “Van Gogh chair” – a fragile work of art bedazzled with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. The result? A dramatic collapse that sent the chair, and possibly the tourist’s dignity, crashing to the floor.
“The nightmare of every museum has become a reality, even at Palazzo Maffei,” the museum lamented in a Facebook post, sharing the video. A staff member in the clip sums it up perfectly: “What you just saw would be ridiculous if it hadn’t, unfortunately, actually happened.”
According to the museum, the tourist waited until security’s back was turned before staging what we can only assume was an ill-advised attempt at a glittery throne selfie. Alas, the chair – described by the museum as “extremely fragile” – was no match for the moment.
For several tense days, curators feared that the damage might be irreparable. But happily, a number of skilled restorers, police and security teams came together to save the chair.
“Heartfelt thanks go to the police, our security department and the restorers, whose valuable work allowed the recovery of the work,” the museum announced, surely with a collective sigh of relief (and perhaps a vow to invest in sturdier furniture).
The price tag for the restoration remains a mystery, as does the identity of the crystal-crushing culprit. For now, the museum is using the incident to call for more respect for art – ideally, the kind that doesn’t involve sitting on it.
Let this be a reminder to all tourists: look, admire, but maybe keep your behinds off the artworks.
Images: Courtesy of Palazzo Maffei, Verona
