Learning from Fakes
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With the proliferation of forgeries throughout the art market and museums, it is crucial to study them to protect the integrity of cultural heritage. By examining forged art works, we can learn about the motives of forgers and the methods of production, understand the factors that influence the demand for fraudulent art, adopt ethical policies, implement regulations, and educate the public about the dangers of art forgery. While for the Carabinieri TPC it is standard policy to destroy confiscated fraudulent artworks to prevent their inadvertent re-introduction into the market in the future, the objects in this exhibit have been set aside for didactic purposes.
Studying art forgeries contributes to our knowledge of art history, authentication, art production, and illicit trade. Scientific analyses of counterfeits’ material composition can lead to new discoveries about the characteristics of provenance and attribution. Imaging technology can reveal hidden clues, such as initial sketches, restoration, and intentional alteration of authentic works, as well. We can also learn how an artwork was created, stored, altered, and how it compares to known authentic works. For example, the addition of a mineral deposit on a fake Greek askos (pottery vessel) like the one in this exhibit indicates inauthentic aging. Additionally, examining unauthentic Black-Figure Greek pottery using ancient similar visual comparanda encourages a deeper examination of the authentic works whose production began around 700 BCE. The same applies to modern forgeries, which provide insights into the original artists’ world and their time. For example, Giorgio de Chirico, who studied the Old Masters, painted primarily with oil to give his paintings depth and luminosity. Painted in tempera, the forged De Chirico’s Cavalryman in this exhibit fails to replicate the style of the original oil painting. Forgeries impact not only unsuspecting private collectors and plagiarized artists, but also the broader public. The knowledge we gain from studying fraudulent artworks empowers us to protect public interests as well as the integrity of the art market and cultural heritage.
- Small Cup in the Shape of a Miniature Calyx Krater
Date: 21st century (forgery)
Medium: Pottery; Black-Figure (imitates)
Dimensions: H. 17 cm (6.6 in.); diameter 14.9 cm (5.8 in.)
Credit Line: Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
This modern vase attempts to replicate a miniature 6th-century BCE Black-Figure Greek cup in the shape of calyx krater, a type of vessel used in antiquity to mix wine and water. The forger also painted on the body of vase mythological scenes that frequently appear on authentic pottery. One side of the vessel depicts a male figure in the action of striking a bovine with a sword. This scene most likely portrays Theseus slaughtering the Minotaur, the bull-headed man trapped in the famous labyrinth in Crete. The other side depicts two dancing female figures, while two decorative lotus bulbs adorn either side of the vessel. The forger tried to mimic an upside-down lotus blossom, an ornamental motif that often appears on ancient Greek pottery to fill the empty spaces of the fields. The careless rendering of the various details, including human figures, natural and ornamental elements, as well as the poor craftsmanship of the vase, all indicate that this not an authentic piece.
- Askos (flask with a handle over the top)
Date: 21st century (forgery)
Medium: Pottery; Black-Figure (imitates)
Dimensions: H. 18.2 cm (7.2 in.); diameter 18.2 cm (7.2 in.)
Credit Line: Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
This form of ceramic vessel is called askos (plural askoi), meaning “wine skin,” because it resembles liquid containers made from animal skins or organs. Askoi were typically used for storing small quantity of liquids or unguents. This modern forgery of a Greek, Black-Figure, ring-shaped askos from the 6th century BCE has a doughnut-shaped body, a low, vertical spout with flaring rim, and a single basket handle that forms a low arch from the bottom of the neck to the top of the body on the opposite side. The decorative design mimics a banquet scene with reclining male and female figures. The forger attempted to simulate the appearance of an antique artifact by adding fake crusts of mineral deposit on the object.
- G. de Chirico, Cavaliere con Berretto Rosso e Manto Azzurro (Cavalryman with a Red Hat and a Blue Cloak)
Date: 21st century; Forgery of Giorgio de Chirico (Italian [born Greece], Vólos 1888–1978 Rome)
Medium: Tempera on canvas
Dimensions: 39.9 x 33 cm (15.7 x 12.9 in.)
Credit Line: Coma
This painting is a replica of Giorgio De Chirico’s Cavaliere con Berretto Rosso e Manto Azzurro (1939), currently housed at the GNAM (Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea) in Rome. It depicts a man characterized by his red, floppy cap and flowing blue cape riding a horse poised in a dynamic stance. This genre painting reflects De Chirico’s interest in classicism and antiquity, and the ‘horse’ in particular was a subject that features in many of the artists’ paintings in the late 1920s and beyond. Painted in tempera, unlike the original oil painting, this forgery employs a thick impasto and a color palette that create depth in both the horse and rider and produce theatrical movement through the masterful use of light and shadow. The forger, however, struggled to replicate the artists’ original signature.
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