Stendhal Syndrome
File this one under: Who knew?
A few weeks ago a woman attacked the Mona Lisa with a ceramic mug (it did no damage thanks to the two centimeter thick bulletproof glass). Anyway, after being taken into custody the woman was given a psychological screening to see if she was suffering from Stendhal Syndrome. Psychology Today explains:
Named for the French author Henri-Marie Beyle, who died in 1842 and is best known by his pseudonym, Stendhal, the syndrome is also known as hyperkulturemia and as Florence Syndrome. After visiting Florence, Italy — a city distinctively replete with art — Stendhal wrote in his 1817 book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio: “I felt a pulsating in my heart. Life was draining out of me, while I walked fearing a fall.”