Penis Tree Painting Ruined By Restorers

Art restorers have sparked fury by touching up a 746 year old fresco called The Tree of Fertility and removing some of its most prized assets. The painting by an unknown artist was discovered in an Italian cave and illustrates a tree from the branches of which are hanging dozens of very realistically drawn penises. Underneath the tree, waiting for the them to fall, a small crowd of women are gathered, with two appearing to be ready to fight over one of the twenty five 'fruits'.

The work is said to be a symbol of fertility and controversy erupted after restorers appeared to 'castrate' the tree by removing or painting over several of the phalluses.  Many critics have complained that the fresco's spirit and intention has been destroyed. The intriguing work of art was discovered in 1999 in the Tuscan town ofMassa Marittima in walls which adorn a local spring known as the Fountain of Abundance, carved out of solid rock.

The restoration work was carried out by art experts from nearby Siena and lasted two years with the work being unveiled last week to gasps of astonishment at how it had been changed. Although the colours are now as bright and vibrant as they were in the Middle Ages there is anger at the fact that the original appearance has been dramatically altered. Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera ran the story under the headline: 'Restoration castrates the Tree of Fertility' while others said the fresco had been 'censored' after 'losing its fruits'.

Chief restorer Giuseppe Gavazzi denied there had been any intention to remove the penises that have disappeared and said: 'It's possible that the aggressive nature of the chemicals used made them disappear. It was not a deliberate act. People have to remember that the fresco was already in a very poor condition when we started work on it and the restoration was carried out accordingly.  We are very pleased with the final result.'

However Gabriele Galeotti, from the local Massa council stormed: 'What the restorers say is absolute nonsense. As far as we are concerned they have compromised the authenticity of the fresco. The work was intended as a symbol of fertility with the penises being crucial to the intention of the art but now these have been removed and the message is therefore no longer there. We intend to make a formal complaint to the local prosecutor so that he can open an investigation into this disrespectful slaughter of an artistic work. There was obviously no intention to respect the original artist.'