The Scientist and the Forger

Insights into the Scientific Detection of Forgery in Paintings

"The scientific techniques described encompass relevant examples of forgery detection and of authentication. The book deals, to name a few, with the Chagall, the Jackson Pollock and the Beltracchi affairs and discusses the Isleworth Mona Lisa as well as La Bella Principessa both thought to be a Leonardo creation. The authentication, amongst others, of two van Gogh paintings, of Vermeer's St Praxedis, of Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine and of Rembrandt's Old Man with a Beard are also described."

Over the last few decades there has been a disconcerting increase in the number of forged paintings. In retaliation, there has been a rise in the use, efficiency and ability of scientific techniques to detect these forgeries. The scientist has waged war on the forger.

The Scientist and the Forger describes the cutting-edge and traditional weapons in this battle, showing how they have been applied to the most notorious cases. The book also provides fresh insights into the psychology of both the viewer and the forger, shedding light on why the discovery that a work of art is a forgery makes us view it so differently and providing a gripping analysis of the myriad motivations behind the most egregious incursions into deception.

The book concludes by discussing the pressing problems faced by the art world today, stressing the importance of using appropriate tools for a valid verdict on authenticity. Written in an approachable and amenable style, the book will make fascinating reading for non-specialists, art historians, curators and scientists alike.

Contents:

• Establishing the First Link in the Art Chain: Attribution
• Microscopy-Related Techniques
• Scientific Techniques Reliant on Mass Spectrometry
• Some X-ray-based Techniques
• Infrared Reflectography
• Digital Techniques in Art Authentication
• Dendrochronolgy
• The Beguiling Odalisque — Is the Courtroom the Proper Venue for Authentication?
• Three Portraits, Two Women — Can Science Decide?
• Psychology of the Viewer
• Psychology of the Forger
• Reflections on the Turbulent World of Authentication

Readership: General reader, curator, connoisseur, art-historian, psychologist, scientist and financier.
Key Features:

• There is no existing publication to date that brings together the material presented in this book and which responds to heightened interest in and demand for information on forgery-related subjects as reflected in ever-expanding media coverage
• This book will appeal to a broad readership: general reader, curator, connoisseur, art-historian, psychologist and the scientist in view of the interdisciplinary nature of the work. It might also be of interest to the financier as large sums of money are involved in the purchase of paintings by famous masters
• This book covers a wide spectrum of interrelated subjects: the current state of forgery in painting touching upon some of the most singular cases, the potential and limits of new research methodologies, psychological parameters related to forgery as well as to viewership and finally the current efforts in redressing a situation of greed and fraud in the art market. Adding novelty, is the very contemporary character and diversity of the cases presented (from European to Middle Eastern artworks)