Taiwanese boy takes a tumble in museum and punches a hole in a painting worth $1.5 million

The 17th-century Italian masterpiece will need some restoration

The boy punches a hole in the million dollar painting (Youtube)

A 12-year-old boy has planted his fist through a painting worth $1.5m after tripping over in the middle of a museum.

Footage released by the organisers of an art exhibition in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei shows the toe-curling moment the boy, who has not been named, was soaking up the atmosphere at the "Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius exhibition.

The video shows a crowd moving away from a Paolo Porpora impression of flowers, oil on canvas to the next work of art.

As the boy turns to walk away, he catches his right foot of the painting’s modern display stand. Realising the drink he's clutching poses a serious risk to the 350-year-old canvas, manages to keep it upright - but in doing so he plants his right hand through the painting.

According to Focus Taiwan News, the organisers of the exhibition don’t want the boy to blame himself for the incident, and will not be seeking payment from his family for the restoration. It said the organiser of the exhibition, Sun Chi-hsuan, said the boy was very nervous but was not to be blamed, and that the painting, part of a private collection, was insured.

The exhibition, which is made up of over 50 paintings, was closed briefly after the accident on Monday.