WATCH: Grand collapse at the museum - tourist sits on a priceless crystal chair and breaks it!
Museums are like giant 'Do Not Touch' signs with exquisite lighting. And yet, for some of us (yes, me included), the temptation is just too strong. I mean, if something has survived 4,000 years, surely it can survive a gentle, reverent touch - right?
That was my logic years ago when I lovingly ran my fingers over an ancient Egyptian stone tablet in the Nubian Museum in Aswan. The hieroglyphics were breathtaking, and I was completely entranced… until a very polite curator tapped me on the shoulder and explained (with a smile that said 'you silly tourist') that no, the artefacts are not meant to be stroked like a golden retriever.
The priceless crystal chair incident that has sparked online cringe
Fast-forward to today, and it turns out I'm not alone in my museum misdemeanours. In Italy, a crystal chair inspired by Vincent van Gogh's famous 1888 painting Van Gogh's Chair was recently damaged by a tourist who did more than just look - he sat. Yes, really.
CCTV footage from Palazzo Maffei in Verona shows a man and woman taking turns to pose next to the museum's prized piece, a Swarovski crystal-covered chair by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, created between 2006 and 2007.
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WATCH: Grand collapse at the museum - tourist sits on a priceless crystal chair and breaks it!
Museums are like giant 'Do Not Touch' signs with exquisite lighting. And yet, for some of us (yes, me included), the temptation is just too strong. I mean, if something has survived 4,000 years, surely it can survive a gentle, reverent touch - right? That was my logic years ago when I lovingly ran my fingers over an ancient Egyptian stone tablet in the Nubian Museum in Aswan. The hieroglyphics were breathtaking, and I was completely entranced… until a very polite curator tapped me on the shoulder and explained (with a smile that said 'you silly tourist') that no, the artefacts are not meant to be stroked like a golden retriever. The priceless crystal chair incident that has sparked online cringe Fast-forward to today, and it turns out I'm not alone in my museum misdemeanours. In Italy, a crystal chair inspired by Vincent van Gogh's famous 1888 painting Van Gogh's Chair was recently damaged by a tourist who did more than just look - he sat. Yes, really. CCTV footage from Palazzo Maffei in Verona shows a man and woman taking turns to pose next to the museum's prized piece, a Swarovski crystal-covered chair by Italian artist Nicola Bolla, created between 2006 and 2007.
IOL News
a day ago
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