A young boy on losing balance punched a hole into Paolo Porpora's painting which is being showcased at the Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan.
Every painter's nightmare came true on Saturday when a 12-year old Taiwanese boy at the Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius exhibition in Taipei stumbled and punched a hole in to Paolo Porpora's 350-year-old painting called Flowers, The Guardian reported.
In a video posted on YouTube, the boy can be seen holding a drink and passing by the painting. And as he loses balance, he stumbles over a barrier managing to punch a hole through the $1.5 million worth painting. Too shocked by the accident, the boy is seen looking around guiltily in the video.
Although the painting is worth millions, the organisers have been nice enough not to ask for restoration costs from the boy's family as they realised he felt guilty for what he had done and could not be blamed. Moreover, as the painting is part of a private collection it is insured.
But, the remorse was still felt by the organisers of the exhibition that is showcasing 55 paintings, including the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci's portraits. They posted on their Facebook page saying "All 55 paintings in the venue are authentic pieces and they are very rare and precious, once these works are damaged, they are permanently damaged." The significance of the painting is heightened after 'The Web Gallery of Art' told The Guardian that the 200 cm tall Flowers is the only work of Porpora that was signed by him.
The leading still life artist would mostly paint fruits and flowers in baroque style. Even Flowers has sunflowers, roses tulips and carnations in it, The Guardian said.
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 "Paolo Porpora's 'Flowers' painting")
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