Brush with fate:

Destroyed by a curtain

Da Vinci painted his 15th century masterwork on wet plaster using vinegar and egg yolks, but it only took a few years for the Milanese religious mural to start flaking.

A curtain was hung across the world in the 18th century but this only trapped moisture on its surface and flaked it even more. The latest recent restoration lasted over 20 years.