The Greatest Art Vandal of All Time?

I've long thought that the Chinese emperor Chien-lung (transliterated today for some reason obscure to me as Qianlong) had a shot at that dubious title. While Holland Cotter of the NY Times doesn't make the same statement, he does note in a column on an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

As an art connoisseur, he had an uncannily sensitive eye, yet he insisted on incising his name into precious ceramics and writing it repeatedly on priceless paintings, effectively defacing them.

He defaced great art works in jade as well, including many archaic pieces.

The cretin seemed to think his possessing was the most important thing which had ever happened to them, carving and painting his poetry and name on thousands of the most important Chinese art pieces that a dynasty of emperors could accumulate.

Chien-lung (1735-1799) seemed to accumulate for the joy of vandalizing: Perhaps he had so little respect for the truly great creations of China because he had no self-respect. Who knows? Today his psychological perversions matter less than the results. Whether or not he was the worst art vandal or all time or not, he ranks among the worst. More at Wikipedia. Look under "Artistic Acheivements."