Visitors Break Crystal Chair in Sit-and-Run at Italian Museum
The man and woman wait for the guards to leave the room before posing for their photo: squatting over a chair covered in Swarovski crystals, pretending to sit. She is taking the picture, he's posing.
But the squatting takes just a few moments too long, and he accidentally sits back into the chair. He tries to hold on to the wall to keep himself up, to no avail.
The fragile chair — a more sparkly version of the seat in a famous Vincent van Gogh painting — cannot hold the man's weight. The woman quickly helps him up and ushers him out of the room.
These images spread around the internet this week after the Palazzo Maffei, a museum in Verona, Italy, released security footage of the two visitors who inadvertently damaged the artwork this spring.
Museum officials said they had contacted the police, though they consider the mishap an accident. The local authorities have not learned the identities of the people in the video, and Ms. Carlon said the museum hoped that releasing it would encourage the accidental vandals to come forward and apologize.
'It wasn't such a brilliant thought to sit on an artwork,' Vanessa Carlon, the director of the museum, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. The bigger concern, she said, was how far people were willing to go to get a memorable photo — and in this case, how the pair fled instead of owning up to the damage.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Washington Post
‘The Chosen' swaps Texas for Italy to film the crucifixion for the hit drama about Jesus Christ
MATERA, Italy — Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the 'City of Stones' for its architecture. For the next season of 'The Chosen,' it'll be known by another name: Jerusalem. With its ancient caves, breathtaking scenery, dramatic cliffs and houses made of stone, Matera is doubling as the ancient city for the hit religious drama's sixth season, which focuses on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This month, the cast and crew traded their Texas studio for three weeks in Italy, during which The Associated Press visited the set. George Harrison Xanthis, who plays the apostle John, says that filming in Matera has helped his performance by immersing him in the world of the show. On the show's sets in Texas and Utah, 'you do step from civilization into the ancient world, whereas here you are just always in the ancient world,' he tells the AP. 'It's amazing.' Director and showrunner Dallas Jenkins explains he wanted authenticity with the crucifixion on the backdrop of a real horizon. While the city of Matera — which has also provided the setting for 'The Passion of the Christ,' 'Mary Magdalene' and even 'No Time to Die' — does most of the work, the tingly and warm smell of spices in the air, coming from a prop cart, adds to the atmosphere. Starring as Jesus is Jonathan Roumie, beloved by the show's fans who blush around him like he's an actual religious figure, revealing he's part of their daily prayers. This observation was confirmed by Jenkins, who has witnessed people crying, touching his hands and calling him Jesus. 'Seeing Jonathan reminds them of the experience they have with Jesus. So, there is a lot of tears. But they know the difference,' says Jenkins. Apart from a friendly hello, Roumie was not available to the media during the set visit, so he could stay concentrated for the demanding scenes that saw him covered in blood with a swollen prosthetic eye closed shut. Other members of the cast have experienced emotional encounters with the audience, albeit with perhaps not the same intensity as Roumie's. Vanessa Benavente, who plays Mother Mary, recalls being recognized during school drop-off. 'It was kind of out of nowhere. And I was very surprised because I was wearing a hat, it was very hard to even see my face,' she remembers. 'Them saying 'I know you are not her but it's like the closest thing' — it's also a lot of responsibility.' Jenkins originally financed the pilot of 'The Chosen' through crowdfunding in 2017. While its success saw it move to Amazon Prime Video, the show continues to be supplemented by crowdfunding and the nonprofit Come and See Foundation. Beginning with Season 3, bundled episodes were released theatrically. Season 5 was first released to theaters in three parts as 'The Chosen: Last Supper,' together grossing tens of millions of dollars at the worldwide box office. When Jenkins yells 'Action!' the set resounds with the actors' cries as they follow Roumie as Jesus, carrying the cross to the hill of Golgotha. Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, was still caught up in the scene when she stepped off set teary-eyed for an interview. 'It's just pure devastation, to watch your friend be paraded through the streets and mocked, and publicly executed. He never hurt anyone, you know. So there's a lot of grief,' said the actor, wiping her eyes. She's not worried about bringing those feelings back home — a plate of authentic Italian pasta after work for three weeks straight will have the power to uplift and help her move on, she assures. The first two episodes of Season 5 debuted Sunday on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., and the rest will release over the next two weeks. Jenkins says the episodes focus on 'the most famous moment in the scriptures,' such as the Last Supper and Judas' betrayal. As the stakes rise and the show grows, his goal is for the audience to have a more personal and intimate experience when they watch. 'That's the challenge,' he says. 'Making sure that the audience still can connect with the characters, not just the size of the story.' Season 5 will be available to watch for free on the show's app of the same name and website beginning Sept. 13. Season 6 will air in 2027, and the series will come to an end with its seventh season, focused on Jesus' resurrection.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
‘The Chosen' swaps Texas for Italy to film the crucifixion for the hit drama about Jesus Christ
MATERA, Italy (AP) — Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the 'City of Stones' for its architecture. For the next season of 'The Chosen,' it'll be known by another name: Jerusalem. With its ancient caves, breathtaking scenery, dramatic cliffs and houses made of stone, Matera is doubling as the ancient city for the hit religious drama's sixth season, which focuses on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This month, the cast and crew traded their Texas studio for three weeks in Italy, during which The Associated Press visited the set. George Harrison Xanthis, who plays the apostle John, says that filming in Matera has helped his performance by immersing him in the world of the show. On the show's sets in Texas and Utah, 'you do step from civilization into the ancient world, whereas here you are just always in the ancient world,' he tells the AP. 'It's amazing.' Director and showrunner Dallas Jenkins explains he wanted authenticity with the crucifixion on the backdrop of a real horizon. While the city of Matera — which has also provided the setting for 'The Passion of the Christ,' 'Mary Magdalene' and even 'No Time to Die' — does most of the work, the tingly and warm smell of spices in the air, coming from a prop cart, adds to the atmosphere. Starring as Jesus is Jonathan Roumie, beloved by the show's fans who blush around him like he's an actual religious figure, revealing he's part of their daily prayers. This observation was confirmed by Jenkins, who has witnessed people crying, touching his hands and calling him Jesus. 'Seeing Jonathan reminds them of the experience they have with Jesus. So, there is a lot of tears. But they know the difference,' says Jenkins. Apart from a friendly hello, Roumie was not available to the media during the set visit, so he could stay concentrated for the demanding scenes that saw him covered in blood with a swollen prosthetic eye closed shut. Other members of the cast have experienced emotional encounters with the audience, albeit with perhaps not the same intensity as Roumie's. Vanessa Benavente, who plays Mother Mary, recalls being recognized during school drop-off. 'It was kind of out of nowhere. And I was very surprised because I was wearing a hat, it was very hard to even see my face,' she remembers. 'Them saying 'I know you are not her but it's like the closest thing' — it's also a lot of responsibility.' Jenkins originally financed the pilot of 'The Chosen' through crowdfunding in 2017. While its success saw it move to Amazon Prime Video, the show continues to be supplemented by crowdfunding and the nonprofit Come and See Foundation. Beginning with Season 3, bundled episodes were released theatrically. Season 5 was first released to theaters in three parts as 'The Chosen: Last Supper,' together grossing tens of millions of dollars at the worldwide box office. When Jenkins yells 'Action!' the set resounds with the actors' cries as they follow Roumie as Jesus, carrying the cross to the hill of Golgotha. Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, was still caught up in the scene when she stepped off set teary-eyed for an interview. 'It's just pure devastation, to watch your friend be paraded through the streets and mocked, and publicly executed. He never hurt anyone, you know. So there's a lot of grief,' said the actor, wiping her eyes. She's not worried about bringing those feelings back home — a plate of authentic Italian pasta after work for three weeks straight will have the power to uplift and help her move on, she assures. The first two episodes of Season 5 debuted Sunday on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., and the rest will release over the next two weeks. Jenkins says the episodes focus on 'the most famous moment in the scriptures,' such as the Last Supper and Judas' betrayal. As the stakes rise and the show grows, his goal is for the audience to have a more personal and intimate experience when they watch. 'That's the challenge,' he says. 'Making sure that the audience still can connect with the characters, not just the size of the story.' Season 5 will be available to watch for free on the show's app of the same name and website beginning Sept. 13. Season 6 will air in 2027, and the series will come to an end with its seventh season, focused on Jesus' resurrection.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
An 80-year-old drives a luxury Mercedes sedan down Rome's Spanish Steps and gets stuck
ROME — An 80-year-old man drove a compact luxury Mercedes-Benz A Class sedan down the landmark Spanish Steps in Rome early on Tuesday before getting stuck part way down, municipal police said in a statement. The man tested negative for alcohol, and was cited on the spot for driving down the monument in Rome's historic center, police said. Police said the man, a resident of Rome, was at a loss to explain how he had wound up driving down the famed steps. They did not release his name and it was unclear if the car was his. The small sporty car was later removed by firefighters using a crane. Police did not respond to requests for more details about the dynamics of the apparent accident. One of Rome's most recognizable monuments, the Spanish Steps have never been intended for motor vehicles, although some thrill seekers have tried their luck. A Saudi man was charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage after a surveillance camera recorded him driving a rented Maserati down the 135 travertine steps in 2022. The Spanish Steps take their name from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See in the nearby square. A famed background for numerous films, they were built in the 1720s and have long been a popular spot to people watch and hang out.
