D'oh!



An American tourist who was visiting a museum in Italy accidentally snapped the pinky finger off a medieval statue, authorities in Florence say.



The statue, believed to be from the 14th or 15th century, is thought to be the work of sculptor Giovanni D’Ambrogio. Security guards at Museo dell’Opera del Duomo say they spotted the unidentified, middle-aged man touching the statue but were unable to stop him before he damaged the work. He reportedly told the guards he was trying to measure it.



“In a globalized world like ours, the fundamental rules for visiting a museum have been forgotten," museum head Timothy Verdon told MSN U.K. "That is, ‘Do not touch the works.’”



It's unclear how much repairs to the statue would cost. Verdon said the man apologized.



"It is a fairly simple restoration," the museum told the Daily News, adding that the incident was reported to police.



It's apparently not the first time the statue had been damaged.



"This was already a very fragile piece of art," Ambra Nepi, head of communications for the museum, told ABC News. "But every year throughout the Duomo we have many items that are damaged and broken."



























