Still from a YouTube video of a Taiwanese boy who falls and punctures an oil canvas at an exhibition in Taiwan. (Photo : YouTube/CNA)
It was like a slapstick comedy was unfolding when attendees at an art exhibition in Taipei witnessed a young boy 12, break his fall by leaning against a canvas in front of him and smashing his fist through a 17th century painting.
According to the Guardian, the Taiwanese boy had unknowingly damaged an oil canvas worth $1.5 million by Italian painter Paolo Porpora which is more than 300-years-old.
Organizers of the exhibition titled "The Face of Leonardo Da Vinci: Images of a Genius Exhibition" released footage of the mishap caught on camera which shows the youngster with a drink in his hand looking in the opposite direction as he passes by very close to the painting and then stumbles.
Having broken his fall by leaning into the canvas in front of him the boy is seen in the footage steadying himself and then realizing the damage created to the painting. The youngster almost freezes in motion looking around to see if anyone else notices the damage and moves on.
According to Yahoo News, organizers have refrained from asking the parent of the boy to pay for restoration costs of the painting.
Organizers of the exhibition said the boy need not be blamed and that the painting which is part of a private collection has been insured. The painting has since been restored and put back on display.
The event showcases 55 paintings which have been gathered from some of the largest art collectors from around the world r and includes self-portraits of artist Da Vinci which organizers say is valued at $231 million.
