Taiwan's National Palace Museum has admitted under pressure that a bowl, a teacup, and a plate were broken. These turned out to be three expensive mistakes: the art pieces were worth nearly 77 million dollars.
The ancient dinnerware was created during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the subsequent Qing dynasty (1644-1912). British newspaper The Guardian writes that the objects were designed in the 15th and 17th centuries.
The museum pieces were broken in three different incidents. Remarkably, the first incident occurred over a year ago, in February 2021. That while the porcelain plate broke only recently.
According to Taiwanese media, there are indications that the museum tried to hide the incidents. For example, the incidents were not reported and inspections of the objects were postponed until repairs could be made.
The museum director denies these allegations. He says he did not have to report the incidents because the artworks were simply not important enough.
Employee dropped bowl from desk
The museum conducted its investigation into the incidents. This involved digging through more than a decade of camera footage, according to The Guardian. In two cases, no culprit could be identified. Only the breaking of the bowl revealed negligence.
An employee allegedly placed the bowl on a meter-high desk, after which it fell. "Then it broke, as a bowl does when falling from that height," the museum director told the British newspaper.