The scientist and the forger : insights into the scientific detection of forgery in paintings / Jehane Ragai.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ragai, Jehane, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Painting--Forgeries.

Painting.

Art--Psychology.

Art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (285 p.)

Place of Publication:

London, England : Imperial College Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"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."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword

Preface

Acronyms

Introduction. Scientific tools of the art detective ; What motivates fraud? Why do we care so much about authenticity?

1. Establishing the First Link in the Art Chain : Attribution. The curator and gallery dealer ; The connoisseur and the art historian ; The Ely Zakhai case : connoisseurship's role in unraveling a Gauguin forgery ; Stylistic and Morellian analysis ; The Rembrandt Research Project ; Rembrandt's Old Man With a Beard authenticated

2. Microscopy-Related Techniques. Optical microscopy ; Stereomicroscope and raking light ; Observation by optical microscopy of the craquelure at the surface of a painting ; Craquelure and the Han van Meegeren forgery ; Craquelure and The Virgin and Child with an Angel ; More on craquelure ; Cross section analysis ; The case of the authenticated Rembrandt ; Polarised light microscopy ; Polarised light microscopy plays a crucial initial role in the authentication of a Manet painting ; Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ; Portrait Group depicting Frederico da Montefletro (Forgery confirmed by SEM/EDX) ; Raman spectroscopy and microscopy ; Russian avant-garde forgeries ; The Kandinsky and Popova cases (Analysis by micro-Raman spectroscopy) ; The unexpectedly dramatic case of a Chagall painting (More tricks from the Russian market, Raman microscopy unravels a mystery) ; Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Fourier transform infrared micro-spectroscopy (micro-FTIR) ; The Jackson Pollock case (revisited)

3. Scientific techniques reliant on mass spectrometry. Introduction ; Principle of mass spectrometry ; Pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) ; High-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) ; Study by HPLC-MS of The Virgin and Child with an Angel ; Laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LD-TOF-MS) ; The Trotter affair ; The Jackson Pollock affair ; Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) ; Determination of the radioactive isotopes ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr by LA-ICP-MS and the Elena Basner affair ; Study of the provenance of pigments ; Mahmoud Said's Girl with Green Eyes ; Multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) ; Authentication of paintings by lead isotopic ratio determination using MC-ICP-MS ; Authentication of Vermeer's Saint Praxedis ; Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ; The bomb peak effect ; The Fernand Léger forgery

4. Some X-ray-based techniques. Introduction ; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) ; Vincent van Gogh's Sunset at Montmajour ; Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) ; Electron probe microanalyser ; X-ray radiography (XRR) ; Portrait of a Woman ; Image alleged to have been created by Antonello da Messina ; X-ray fluorescence recorded using synchrotron radiation ; Van Gogh's previously unknown floral still life ; X-ray computer tomography ; X-ray diffraction ; X-ray micro-diffraction using synchrotron radiation

5. Infrared reflectography. Principle and recent developments ; The Virgin and Child with an Angel ; Portrait of Anna Zborowski ; Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci ; The Prado Mona Lisa

6. Digital techniques in art authentication. Principles of weave analysis ; Luminosity histograms and the artist's hand ; Multispectral imaging and the layer amplification method (LAM) ; How does Cotte's multispectral imaging work? ; Lady with Ermine

7. Dendrochronology. The Beltracchi affair (revisited)

8. The beguiling Odalisque : Is the courtroom the proper venue for authentication? Challenges to authentication ; Connoisseurs diverge : an inferior painting? ; Worth forging? ; Archival references and provenance? ; Scientific experts vie for the truth ; Is the courtroom the proper venue for authentication?

9. Three portraits, two women : Can science decide? The first painting : the Louvre Mona Lisa ; Multispectral imaging and x-ray fluorescence shed light on sfumato ; X-ray fluorescence ; The second painting : the Isleworth Mona Lisa ; Multispectral imaging ; Dating of the canvas by accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) ; Geometric analysis and the Vitruvian Man ; Computer image processing ; La Bella Principessa ; Multispectral imaging ; C¹⁴ dating using AMS ; Authentic or copy? Can science decide?

10. Psychology of the viewer. Beyond aesthetics ; Belief and the human mind

11. Psychology of the forger. The psychology of the forger ; Racked by turmoil ; The art establishment : the ultimate target? ; Entirely devoid of creativity?

12. Reflections on the turbulent world of authentication

Glossary.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781783267415

1783267410