Another flood has damaged a gallery at the Louvre in Paris, adding to its catalogue of recent woes, the museum said, days after the arrests of several people suspected of defrauding millions in ticket revenues.
The flooding occurred in the Denon wing, which houses a large collection of Italian and French paintings.
A ceiling painting from 1819 suffered water damage overnight due to a defective heating pipe in a service room, the museum told dpa on Friday.
The ceiling shows cracks and peeling paint, and a more detailed assessment of the artwork is under way now that the leakage has been stopped. The affected rooms remained closed for the time being.
Around two months ago, flooding in the library of Egyptian antiquities damaged books and documents.
The Louvre has repeatedly made headlines in recent months. In October, jewellery worth 88 million euros ($A148 million) was stolen in a spectacular daylight burglary.
In December, hundreds of museum employees held a strike in protest at staff shortages, insufficient resources and the structural condition of the museum.
On Thursday evening, the public prosecutor's office said tour guides and two Louvre employees were among nine people arrested on Tuesday over a suspected ticket scam thought to have lasted for over a decade.
The Louvre estimates the damage caused by the fraud at more than 10 million euros ($A17 million).
