Museum reacts after 4-year-old accidentally shatters Bronze Age vase

A four-year-old boy accidentally broke a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age vase at Israel's Hecht Museum.

A four-year-old boy accidentally smashed a vase dating back to the Bronze Age at a museum in Israel. The ancient artefact was believed to be 3,500 years old.

This undated image provided by the Hecht Museum of the University of Haifa shows a rare bronze-era jar that was accidentally smashed by a four-year-old child during a visit in the museum in Haifa, Israel. (Hecht Museum staff via AP) (AP)

According to BBC, the Bronze Age vase was placed near the entrance of the Hecht Museum in Haifa without a protective glass casing. On Friday, the boy visited the museum with his family and accidentally smashed the vase. The child has not been identified.

The boy’s father, identified only by his first name Alex, said that his son “pulled the jar slightly” because he was “curious about what was inside.” This was enough for the vase to fall on the ground and break into pieces.

Alex said his first reaction was one of shock when he saw his four-year-old standing next to the ancient artefact. However, after calming his son down, Alex approached a security guard and apprised him of the situation.

Museum reacts

The Hecht Museum in Israel has invited the boy and his mother back to view the vase once it is restored.

The museum defended its decision to display artefacts without protective glass in a statement to CNN.

“The museum believes there is a special charm in experiencing an archaeological find without any obstructions,” the statement said, adding that the institution would “continue this tradition” despite the incident.

The institute also noted how its founder Reuben Hecht had hoped to make ancient art more accessible to the public by displaying it in the open.

“Whenever possible, items are displayed without barriers or glass walls,” it told BBC.

"There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police," the museum said, according to NBC News. "In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum."