Portrait in Florence allegedly damaged by visitor taking a selfie

A 18th-century oil painting has allegedly been damaged after a museum visitor tripped while taking a selfie.

Florence’s Uffizi Gallery said a tourist fell backwards while trying to “make a meme in front” of a portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabbiani.

The museum explained the damage could be repaired quickly but director Simone Verde warned restrictions on visitor behaviour could be imposed in the future.

He said in a statement: “The problem of visitors coming to museums to make memes or take selfies for social media is rampant.

“We will set very precise limits, preventing behaviour that is not compatible with the sense of our institutions and respect for cultural heritage,” he added.

The portrait was on display as part of an exhibition called Florence and Europe: Arts of the Eighteenth Century at the Uffizi.

According to the gallery the visitor has been identified by the police and reported to the judicial authorities.

The exhibition, which was made up of about 150 art works, is now closed until 2 July following the incident. The painting will be repaired in the interim so it is ready to go back on display.

The exhibition will then run, as originally planned, until 28 November.

Earlier this year at Palazzo Maffei, in Verona, a man seemingly slipped and fell on to a bejewelled chair by Italian artist Nicola Bolla.

He had been taking photos with a woman, pretending to sit on the chair.

Museum director Vanessa Carlon said: “Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don’t think about the consequences.

“Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us – that isn’t an accident.”