An American tourist has broken off the finger of a 14th-Century statue in the Italian city of Florence.

A security guard saw the man touching the statue and tried to stop him but was too late to avert the damage.

American tourist accidentally snaps finger off priceless 600-year-old statue in Florence

The sculpture, believed to be the work of Giovanni d’Ambrogio, was on view at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.

It is unclear how much it will cost to fix the finger, which was not original and had been added at a later date.

The tourist, who is said to have apologized, could receive a fine and has been publicly chastised by the museum’s director.

“Do not touch”, said Monsignor Timothy Verdun, was a “fundamental” rule of museum-going that had been forgotten.