Italian officials have arrested a 65-year-old male tourist from America after he broke two sculptures at Museo Chiaramonti, a part of the Vatican Museum.
Sculptures were smashed because he could not meet the pope
A newspaper based in Rome, Il Masaggerro reported that he went berserk when the authority told him that he could not meet the pope. He impulsively broke one of the sculptures.
The American man tried to escape the scene, as the staff of the museum tried to capture him. However, he knocked down another sculpture. The sculptures are designed to stay put on the shelves with nails. Nevertheless, if anyone pulls them with might, it’s not impossible for them to come off the shelves. Both sculptures are estimated to be worth €15,000US which equals $14,800.
The damages of one sculpture are on the nose and ear. Another sculpture lost its head which had come off the pedestal. Rather than famous, these 20-century-year-old antiques from Rome in ancient times are considered to be secondary works of arts. The sculptures present an elderly man and a young man.
The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon. The Vatican museum was recently back on business last year due to the restrictions on opening and closed hours because of the coronavirus.