Caught in the Act: Art Forgery

Art forgery has existed for thousands of years dating back to a time when ancient Roman sculptors produced fake copies of Greek sculptures.  Yet, perhaps the most famous story of forgery occurred in the Renaissance, 1496 to be exact, and involved the great Michelangelo.  At a young age, Michelangelo decided to test his skill by sculpting a sleeping cupid statue, burying it in the acidic earth, and passing it off as an antiquity.  The artificially aged statue found its way into the hands of Cardinal Raffaello Riario of San Giorgi.  Only after hearing of Michelangelo’s bragging did the Cardinal learn of the forgery and demand his money back. Nowadays, however, there are other ways to learn of a forgery than through counterfeiters’ boasting.

Through a talented team of art conservators and scientists, the authenticity of a painting can be determined in a variety of ways beyond the initial visual analysis.  These include: carbon dating, X-ray radiographs, and X-ray diffraction.  All of these techniques hinge on verifying the date of the painting by examining the materials that comprise the work of art.  Carbon dating, a method that analyzes the ratio of carbon isotopes ¹²C and ¹⁴C, is useful in determining the age of materials less than 10,000 years.  X-ray radiographs, on the other hand, help conservators see the creative process of the artist, revealing every layer of paint on the canvas.  Sometimes a painting will appear to be an antique until radiographs reveal a typical 19^th-century painting underneath.  Lastly, X-ray diffraction is used to understand the pigments in the painting. Conservators and art historians alike know the dates of when certain pigments were introduced into the art world.  For example, if X-ray diffraction shows the usage of Prussian blue, an ink of the 18^th century, in a painting that claims to be of the 17^th century, it is a fraud.

Clearly it is important for paintings to be examined before being sold to museums and collectors for large sums. Carbon dating, X-ray radiographs and X-ray diffraction are only a few of the techniques utilized by scientists to verify a painting’s authenticity.  And while the number and accuracy of the techniques used by conservators grow, the techniques of modern-day forgers are desperately trying to keep pace and trick us once again. 

References:

http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=201568

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Renaissance_Forgeries/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_forgery