TAIPEI // A 12-year-old boy accidentally punched a hole through a $1.5 million centuries-old Italian oil painting when he tripped and fell into the piece during an exhibition in Taiwan.

The painting, entitled Flowers by Italian artist Paolo Porpora, dates back to the 1600s and is part of a collection of 55 artworks on show in the country’s capital.

“The child fell and pressed onto the painting, putting a fist-sized tear in it,” an employee at TST Art of Discovery, which organised The Face of Leonardo exhibition in Taipei, said.

The organisers have decided not to seek damages from the boy’s family, according to China News Agency.

*Agence France-Presse