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(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2015-08-27 11:35

The moment the boy stumbled in the art gallery and put his fist through the painting. [Photo/Sina Weibo]

Boy tears hole in valued painting

A 12-year-old boy accidentally lost his footing and tore a hole in a famous painting valued at $1.5 million dollarswhile visiting a gallery in Taiwan last Sunday, Chinanews.com reported.

The damaged work is a centuries-old Italian oil painting, titled Flowers by Italian artist Paolo Porpora, and dates back to the 1600s. It is part of a collection of 55 artworks on show, according to South China Morning Post.

Video footage of the incident is spreading online and shows the moment the boy tripped over a platform in the museum when he was walking past the oil painting. He then braced himself against the painting to break his fall, puncturing it and leaving a fist-sized tear in it.

According to the report, the organizer of the art exhibition was "shocked" over the incident, but decided not to blame the boy and seek compensation from his family. Instead, an insurance company was asked to cover the costs to restore the painting and further compensate its owner.

Now while the painting has been restored and is on exhibition again, the incident has sparked heated debate online, with most netizens agreeing with the organizer because "the boy didn't mean to do it", while others thought there should be more measures taken to prevent such mishaps.