http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7692268/Fake-Raphael-turns-out-to-be-worth-25m.html
"12 by 16 inch oil painting was long thought to have been a copy made in the
style of the Renaissance master long after his death and dismissed as almost
worthless"
then using modern machines, the technique was identified
"Using infra-red and ultraviolet ray "multilayer" technology, they were able
to see through accumulated layers of paint. ... The institute's Lisa
Venerosi Pesciolini, one of Italy's most respected art restorers, said:
"Underneath the layers, it was possible to see the original painting. This
is an extremely important find."
and the price jumped from worthless to millions.
there was a UK series on unearthing the stories behind artworks, often
painting - many were dismissed as worthless, low quality copies or too
flawed to have come from the Great Master (insert name) . Many of the
paintings had been placed before the greatest art historians, critics and
specialists in the world - most were specialists on the various painters and
they were continually rejected.
Once they were in the hands of analytical chemists and radiologists where
the techniques employed to create the painting were able to be examined and
compared with known works by the attributed artist, the tables often turned,
with worthless pieces suddenly becoming worth millions.
funny how a painting can go from a mere 'copy' to original. I know the name
means a lot but, was the quality of the painting not immediately apparent?
seems not.
just saying..
k
