Hungarian-born geologist Laszlo Toth attacked and seriously damaged Michelangelo’s Pietà statue with a hammer.

The Pietà is a marble sculpture that was created by Michelangelo between 1498 and 1499. It depicts the body of Jesus lying on his mother Mary’s lap shortly after he was taken down from the cross, and is celebrated as one of the greatest pieces of Renaissance sculpture due to its balance of classical beauty and naturalism. Notably the Pietà is also the only piece that Michelangelo ever signed.

Laszlo Toth graduated from a Hungarian university with a degree in geology, after which he spent a number ...