Three Ming and Qing artifacts broke due to the poor management of the Taiwan National Palace Museum.
The museum staff admitted their negligence which caused the breaking of three artifacts worth US$77 million. The ancient artifacts, two bowls, and a plate had existed since the 15th and 17th centuries.
Picture: Lonely Planet
The artifacts were broken at different times over the course of 18 months. Two of the artifacts, a Ming Dynasty bowl with a portrayal of dragon motifs, and a Qing Dynasty yellow bowl, were broken in their boxes. The staff discovered them while sorting through the archive collection. It is unsure if the artifacts were broken due to improper storage methods or poor handling.
Picture: Taiwan News
Nevertheless, the third artifact, a blue and white porcelain plate from Qing Dynasty, broke because of the staff. They placed the plate on a high table which caused the plate to fall. They took responsibility and had been punished by the authorities.
On the 28th of October, Chen I-Shin, a legislator, told the lawmakers that the undisclosed incidents were cover-ups. However, the Taiwan National Palace Museum’s director disagreed with Chen. He emphasized that there were no hidden affairs about the incident. In fact, the staff had reported the incident as the procedure asked.
Source: Mothership
