A 230-year-old statue of a Roman goddess was painted over with blue crayons, and the culprits thought it was of a bunch of youngsters.
The historical statue, carved by John Bacon, can be found in the gardens of Croome Court in south Worcestershire. According to the Mirror, the sculpture, which represents Roman Naiade, Sabrina, is located around a mid-18th-century Neo-Palladian villa with large parkland.
Blue crayons are believed to have been used in the destruction of a memorial to legendary landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, which was also damaged earlier this month.
A National Trust representative told the Museums Association, “We were dismayed that this happened, and the team at Croome was understandably upset at the discovery.”
“The incident demanded the time and expertise of conservators, as well as the garden and outdoor manager who cleaned the statue and memorial.”
“Fortunately, the property was able to remove the crayon from the statue without the help of external cleaners or expensive specialist materials.”
A trial will be held to determine the best way to restore the remembrance of Capability Brown, with efforts continuing while the clean-up of the Roman Naiade, Sabrina statue was completed without incident.
“The trail had been running for seven days and hundreds of families had completed the trail without incident,” a representative told News.
