False impressions

de Thomas Hoving

It's time to realize that there are vast numbers of incredibly clever fakes out there, some that are of the super subtle class and need a wholly new, far more questioning and skeptical eye to be detected. Yet despite the cleverness of these fakes, each one possesses at least one silly mistake -- whether some physical property that didn't exist in ancient times or a kind of aging that cannot be natural or amusing errors of style -- mistakes that should have been detected instantly. Most forgers' blunders are so obvious and laughable that I find it a mystery why seasoned art collectors and museum professionals continually gets stung. Accompanying every fake and every fakebuster is a highly entertaining tale. What follows are some of my favorites. - Introduction.