A priceless painting by the 16th century Italian artist Titian was damaged after sprinklers were used to put out a fire that broke out adjacent to a church in Venice.

The work, David and Goliath, was soaked with water after fire fighters extinguished a blaze in a building next to the Santa Maria della Salute church.

The head of Venice’s museums, art critic and television celebrity Vittorio Sgarbi, ordered the 1544 masterpiece to be taken down so that the extent of the water damage could be checked....