Articles

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister has revealed a hitherto unknown prudish streak by ordering his staff to cover up a woman's breast in a Tiepolo masterpiece hung in the office in Rome where he meets the media.

Mr Berlusconi, whose cabinet includes a former topless model, decided that journalists and television cameras would be distracted by the naked form in the 254-year-old picture, Time Unveiling Truth, when he appears with visitors such as the Iraqi premier Nouri al-Maliki.

He instructed aides to replace the original, which was commissioned for a palazzo in Vicenza, with a copy that has had a white "veil" added to cover up the offending breast.