Moretto's Double Disaster
One stumble, two damaged paintings
Image: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
- Repair Cost
- Undisclosed
- Curator's Blood Pressure
- 93%
- Embarrassment Level
- 8/10
- Recovered?
- In conservation
- Selfie Involved?
- No
A visitor lost her footing and punched a hand clean through a double-sided sixteenth-century processional banner by the Renaissance master Moretto — damaging both painted faces at once.
In February 2025 a museum-goer stumbled while walking the galleries, and her outstretched hand tore straight through Moretto's ceremonial banner. The accident was unfortunate enough on its own, but conservators soon faced a complication: the banner was painted on both sides — the Virgin Mary with saints on one, two holy figures on the other.
The single tear had damaged both compositions simultaneously. The work was removed for conservation while the visitor escaped with little more than embarrassment. Most paintings have only one front. This one doubled the conservators' workload in an instant.