A Lithuanian national who's identity was not revealed but described as a maniac and deviant slashed Rembrandts Danae and proceeded to pour acid over the painting.

'He lunged at the painting with a knife thrust in the region of Danae's lower belly, and then poured on what is estimated to have been a liter of sulfuric acid'[1] wrote John Russell in an article detailing the return of the painting to public exhibition after 13 years of restoration.

There is no mention of a motive of the attack and very little documentation considering the magnitude of both the crime and the damage but

The man was later judged by the court to be insane.

 

[1] REMBRANDT'S "DANAE" TO GO ON VIEW IN OCTOBER
John Russell, New York Times, August 31, 1997

Danae - The Fate of Rembrandt's Masterpiece
Exhibition Archive, State Hermitage Museum

 

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