A tourist was filmed destroying a chair adorned with Swarovski crystals inside a museum before fleeing the scene.

The museum used social media to highlight the tourist’s actions, showing him sitting on the chair, which then broke and fell to the floor.

“The nightmare of every museum has come true, even at Palazzo Maffei,” the museum posted on its Facebook page, accompanied by video footage of the incident.

“What you are about to see would be comical if it hadn’t actually happened,” a museum employee stated in the video.

The museum noted that the tourist waited until security personnel had left the area before taking a seat and posing for a photo.

The chair was described as “extremely fragile.”

“This irresponsible act caused significant damage to Nicola Bolla’s ‘Van Gogh’ chair, a very delicate artwork, completely covered in crystals,” the museum explained.

For several days, the museum was uncertain if the chair could be repaired.

“We were very worried that it might not be possible to restore it,” the museum admitted.

However, thanks to the efforts of many, the museum announced that the artwork had been successfully salvaged.

“Sincere thanks to the police, our security team, and the restorers, whose valuable work enabled the recovery of the piece,” the museum stated.

“We are sharing this incident not only to document it but also to launch a genuine awareness campaign about the value of art and the respect it deserves.”

The cost of repairing the artwork is unknown. It is also unclear whether the individuals responsible have been identified or will face any repercussions.

“`