Portrait in Florence, which is said to be damaged by a visitor making selfie

It is alleged that the 18th -century oil picture was damaged after a visitor to the museum collided while taking selfies.

Florence's UFI Gallery said a tourist fell back as he tried to “make a meme in the front” of a portrait of Ferdinando de Medici, a great prince of Tuscany, by Anton Domenico Gabiani.

The museum explained that the damage can be repaired quickly, but director Simone Verde has warned the restrictions on the behavior of visitors may be imposed in the future.

He said in a statement: “The problem of visitors coming to museums to make memories or take selfies for social media is stormy.

“We will define very precise restrictions, preventing behavior that is not compatible with the sense of our institutions and respect for cultural heritage,” he added.

The portrait is displayed as part of an exhibition called Florence and Europe: Eighteenth Century Arts in UFI.

According to the gallery, the visitor was identified by the police and reported to the judicial authorities.

The exhibition, made up of about 150 works of art, is already closed until July 2 after the incident. The picture will be repaired in the meantime so that it is ready to return.

The exhibition will then be held, as was originally planned, until November 28.

Earlier this year at Palazzo Maffei, in Verona, A man, at first glance, slipped and fell on a chair by Italian artist Nikola Bola.

He took pictures with a woman, pretending to sit in the chair.

The director of the Museum Vanessa Carlon said: “Sometimes we lose our brain to take a picture and do not think about the consequences.

“Of course it was an incident, but these two people left without telling us – it's no accident.”