Etruscan? A long debate followed the discovery of the so-called Prenestine Fibula, found in Palestrina, ancient Praeneste, since its official presentation in 1887 by the German archaeologist Wolfgang Helbig. The 10.7 cm long golden jewel bears the Latin inscription...
In 1922, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston invested $100,000 to acquire the marble tomb of Maria Caterina Savelli, a wealthy Italian woman. The tomb was considered so captivating that the museum displayed it prominently at the entrance. Despite the monument bearing...
When did the production of fake Greek vases begin? There are examples from various eras. The production of fake Greek vases has a long history dating back many centuries. It can be traced back to the Roman era when Greece was the cultural reference for the...
A Botticelli? When the Madonna of the Veil was discovered in 1930, it was immediately considered a masterpiece by the Florentine Master. In fact, it is a beautiful intentional forgery from the Sienese school of the “Painters of Ancient Paintings,” as the...
Here a supposedly original Kourous, now at the MET in New York. This is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The rigid stance, with the left leg forward and arms at the side, was derived from Egyptian art. The pose provided a clear,...
A Raphael? No! A complete forgery that however, no longer than 40 years ago fooled Cesare Brandi and many other scholars, as well as the Central Institute for Restoration, with its scientific investigations. Many but not all. The attribution was strongly...
