Three 17th-18th century Qing Dynasty vases, among the best-known artifacts at the Fitzwilliam Museum, were smashed into many very, very small pieces last Wednesday when a visitor tripped over his shoelace at the top of a staircase and fell against the table on which the vases have been sitting for the past 40 years. Fitzwilliam Museum officials said that the vases will be repaired. They did not say that in future all visitors will be issued a pair of loafers. Perhaps the Japanese practice of taking off one's shoes completely when entering a house would be a good idea, though not for those of us who usually walk around with holes in our socks...
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Why Footwear is an Important Choice at Museums...
Three 17th-18th century Qing Dynasty vases, among the best-known artifacts at the Fitzwilliam Museum, were smashed into many very, very small pieces last Wednesday when a visitor tripped over his shoelace at the top of a staircase and fell against the table on which the vases have been sitting for the past 40 years. Fitzwilliam Museum officials said that the vases will be repaired. They did not say that in future all visitors will be issued a pair of loafers. Perhaps the Japanese practice of taking off one's shoes completely when entering a house would be a good idea, though not for those of us who usually walk around with holes in our socks...
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