A US weapons firm that turned Michelangelo’s most famous masterpiece – the David statue – into a gun-toting musketeer have come shot down by officials in Italy, with the country’s culture minister calling the move ‘offensive and illegal’.

Illinois-based weapon manufacturer ArmaLite used the iconic image of David in a new advertising campaign, manipulating the statue to make it appear to be holding a $3,300 AR-50A1 rifle.

The accompanying tagline reads: ‘A work of art.’

But the move has outraged Dario Franceschini, Italy’s minister of culture, who said he is pursuing legal action to have ArmaLite withdraw the campaign.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Franceschini said, in Italian, that the ad was illegal.

The superintendent of the State Museums of Florence, Cristina Acidini, elaborated on Franceschini’s comment, explaining that the image of David is copyrighted to Italy and can’t be used without permission.

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