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n2doc

(47,953 posts) Wed Aug 7, 2013, 09:10 AM Aug 2013

American tourist snaps off finger to 600-year-old Italian statue, says he was trying to measure it [View all]

BY NINA GOLGOWSKI

An American tourist has sparked outrage overseas not for giving the finger but for accidentally taking one from a 600-year-old Italian statue.

An unidentified tourist at Florence's Museo dell'Opera del Duomo snapped off the pinky finger of a statue dating to the late 14th or early 15th century by medieval sculptor Giovanni D'Ambrogio, museum officials confirmed.

The tourist said to have been a 55-year-old man from Missouri, was reportedly trying to measure it when he violated museum decorum by putting his own hands on the marble art work titled, Annunciazione.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/tourist-snaps-600-year-old-statue-finger-article-1.1418763

85 replies

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American tourist snaps off finger to 600-year-old Italian statue, says he was trying to measure it [View all] n2doc Aug 2013 OP

Oh come on, it's got nine others jberryhill Aug 2013 #1

So do you. :D DetlefK Aug 2013 #3

And one of them is busy right here, smarty pants jberryhill Aug 2013 #8

Being wagged at me, of course. DetlefK Aug 2013 #12

Not the wagger; the flipper. Just a guess. :D ..nt TeeYiYi Aug 2013 #20

Yeah, but is it still on your hand? kentauros Aug 2013 #18

The guy was a surgeon, right? jberryhill Aug 2013 #19

Surgeons normally work with flesh, not stone. kentauros Aug 2013 #22

"I'm a doctor, not a stone mason" jberryhill Aug 2013 #30

I can't see the clip, kentauros Aug 2013 #32

He's dead Jim, I'm a doctor Politicalboi Aug 2013 #76

Great clip--hilarious...! nt MADem Aug 2013 #77

what is the MATTER with people? CTyankee Aug 2013 #2

It's not like its the only one they have jberryhill Aug 2013 #13

He's American - he can touch anything he wants malaise Aug 2013 #26

My aunt once actually picked at a Van Gough !! She was distressed at the waste in the thick layer bettyellen Aug 2013 #29

He's got nothing to complain about jberryhill Aug 2013 #33

heh heh. It's funny, I was in HS at the time and my initial reaction was "Arrest her!", LOL... bettyellen Aug 2013 #34

an art tutorial in "impasto" would help...maybe... CTyankee Aug 2013 #41

there is no help for sociopaths. everyone is wrong except for her... doctors, lawyers, bettyellen Aug 2013 #58

Years ago, I was in the basement of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History William Seger Aug 2013 #67

Last name probably Griswold Fumesucker Aug 2013 #4

that made me lol boston bean Aug 2013 #28

The idiot is actually a surgeon from Connecticut (according to Daily Mail anyway) dorkzilla Aug 2013 #5

Because the ones acting badly ARE ignoramuses. kentauros Aug 2013 #21

It's not OK to broad brush and stereotype us all treestar Aug 2013 #48

Um...how much time have you spent abroad? dorkzilla Aug 2013 #64

coughbullshitcough cherokeeprogressive Aug 2013 #68

Well I guess you really told me, didnt you? dorkzilla Aug 2013 #70

What gave them away as Texans? cherokeeprogressive Aug 2013 #71

They introduced themselves to us and others on the tour and told us so. N/t dorkzilla Aug 2013 #72

5 months in England, 2 weeks in France treestar Aug 2013 #82

Treestar, don't you know it's only Americans that act like boors when traveling overseas? Ikonoklast Aug 2013 #85

I'm sure he's not the first Italian to give an American tourist the finger... n/t PoliticAverse Aug 2013 #6

Nice. :) branford Aug 2013 #15

What the hell is wrong with people?! HappyMe Aug 2013 #7

superglue snooper2 Aug 2013 #9

The museum probably keeps it in a drawer someplace jberryhill Aug 2013 #11

You never know when you will need the Gorilla Glue . . . branford Aug 2013 #16

ah you beat me to the superglue post lol :) nt steve2470 Aug 2013 #66

My first thought, he must be from Florida. But no.. ananda Aug 2013 #10

The man is a surgeon from Connecticut, not Missouri, liberal N proud Aug 2013 #56

Museum etiquette: Clasp hands firmly behind your back- don't touch LeftinOH Aug 2013 #14

Oh yeah? jberryhill Aug 2013 #17

and ask beforehand if you can use a magnifying glass... CTyankee Aug 2013 #37

"that is a good way to get yourself thrown out of the building" jberryhill Aug 2013 #50

You could also openly carry a bottle of water, taking regular swigs as you sashay through CTyankee Aug 2013 #51

Idiot tourist newfie11 Aug 2013 #23

Could have been pipi_k Aug 2013 #24

That's just . . . wrong! :) n/t branford Aug 2013 #25

There's a fix for that too HolyMoley Aug 2013 #27

Well the excuse, "I was just trying to measure it!" would have made more sense. yellowcanine Aug 2013 #43

But I was just trying to measure it! /nt demwing Aug 2013 #47

Now that would be a souveneir! Brewinblue Aug 2013 #63

Indeed NickB79 Aug 2013 #79

If that statue Turbineguy Aug 2013 #31

Has anybody seen Louie Gohmert lately? Botany Aug 2013 #35

Holy shit. LWolf Aug 2013 #36

First rule of museums... actslikeacarrot Aug 2013 #38

I hate people. nt Javaman Aug 2013 #39

What a whackadoodle. My favorite comment from the link...... yellowcanine Aug 2013 #40

the good news is, per one article I read, it was not the original finger magical thyme Aug 2013 #42

It is amazing to me that during WW2 the Mona Lisa was carted around France and hidden in CTyankee Aug 2013 #55

Yeah, looking at that statue, I would assume it has plenty of repairs done to it. Hassin Bin Sober Aug 2013 #73

This could be a future question in the Friday Afternoon Challenge! GreatCaesarsGhost Aug 2013 #44

No. After this thread, that would be too obvious! CTyankee Aug 2013 #53

This is why us Canucks wear a maple leaf when traveling Bunnahabhain Aug 2013 #45

As a USA'n I agree. RC Aug 2013 #54

Everyone else wears clothes jberryhill Aug 2013 #61

That's why we make friends so easily Bunnahabhain Aug 2013 #62

"Wow! What cheap shoddy workmanship! Why don't folk make stuff that lasts?" struggle4progress Aug 2013 #46

They also make Fiats jberryhill Aug 2013 #49

Yeah, there's a reason Fiat stands for "Fix it again, Tony!" CTyankee Aug 2013 #52

all this over some used marble? It's not even new! ChairmanAgnostic Aug 2013 #84

Thankfully the digit was not an original greytdemocrat Aug 2013 #57

I thought as much from looking at the picture FiveGoodMen Aug 2013 #59

It was digitally re-mastered jberryhill Aug 2013 #60

Hey, no big problem, you just SUPERGLUE that thing back on ! steve2470 Aug 2013 #65

What? No DucTape? HereSince1628 Aug 2013 #69

Good thing this buffoon didn't make it to Paris Spirochete Aug 2013 #74

Peru's most sacred site, Machu Picchu, has been damaged during a shoot for a beer commercial. KittyWampus Aug 2013 #75

Who issued a permit for that? jberryhill Aug 2013 #78

Super glue. . B Calm Aug 2013 #80

His nationality is irrelevant. I doubt most in Europe care. Dash87 Aug 2013 #81

looks like plaster model w all the fingers on rebarb base. Sunlei Aug 2013 #83