Whoops! Tourist smashes centuries-old vases at museum.

buttmunch · January 31st, 2006, 04:28 AM

Quote:

CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) — A visitor to a British museum tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and fell into a display of centuries-old Chinese vases, shattering them into "very small pieces," officials said Monday.
The three Qing dynasty vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948 and were among its best-known artifacts. They sat on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," museum director Duncan Robinson said.

The museum declined to identify the man who tripped on a loose shoelace Wednesday.

Asked about the porcelain vases, Margaret Greeves, the museum's assistant director, said: "They are in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together."

The museum declined to say what the vases were worth.

It's all about the vases, eh? Didn't anyone think to ask if the man was ok? Tripping down a stairway is not a walk in the park.

Barbara · January 31st, 2006, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buttmunch

It's all about the vases, eh? Didn't anyone think to ask if the man was ok? Tripping down a stairway is not a walk in the park.

Hmmm, it says

Quote:

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," museum director Duncan Robinson said.

buttmunch · January 31st, 2006, 04:48 AM

Yeah, I know. I was just being a bit silly.

Barbara · January 31st, 2006, 04:58 AM

Oh,

then!!!

Tiara · January 31st, 2006, 07:30 AM

I bet he sues the museum.

buttmunch · January 31st, 2006, 11:30 AM

Bloody hell. I hope not. What I hope is that he laughs it off and tells his grandkids, "Yep, I'm the one who smashed priceless bric-a-brac and you know what? I'm DAMN proud of it."

UndercoverGator · January 31st, 2006, 11:32 AM

Was his name 'Griswold' perhaps?

ourmaninBusan · January 31st, 2006, 12:12 PM

Quote:

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad
that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed,"
museum director Duncan Robinson said.

"However, now that the inconsiderate klutz is off museum property,"
continued Robinson, "anything that might happen to him -- a drive-by
shooting, a shove down a sewer, a potted plant from the fifth floor --
is fair game. That area around #18 Kensington Station apartments is rough..."

Robinson polished his glasses innocently as an evil grin curled around
the corners of his mouth.

muchlove · January 31st, 2006, 12:38 PM

They weren't that old, and they sort of had them out in the open... I'm betting they weren't worth millions or anything. Maybe thousands, but nothing the museum couldn't deal with. That's just my guess, though.

Nice of them not to give out his name.

Sojiita · January 31st, 2006, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyMix

Why on earth was priceless bric a brac just hanging out on shelves for anyway? Couldn't they have put them in enclosed cases or glued them down or something?

lol..they sat on a window sill by the staircase? what idiot put them there anyway? right..put them by a a staircase..you know..that long thing with stairs that people are liable to fall down....