Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-06
FAXED PAINTINGS.
limitations and Forgeries of the Works
of Old Masters.

In addition to q considerable mass
of historical information concerning
methods employed in producing picto-
rial works of art, NJ. MoreauVauth-
ier's Technique of Painting presents
much new and interesting matter con-
cerning devices of imitation picture
fakingA"truquage." as the French art
world calls it-and systematic, delib-
crate, skillful forgery that have in re-
cent years rendered extra hazardous
the purchase of any picture by recog-
uized master who has Joined the great
majority.
Many of these tricks require great
skill and nowledge-enough, in all
seeming, to enable the forgers to be-
come recognized artists of the first
class.
If an old canvas can be found-and
there are many thousands in Europe
the production of a Titan or Corregglo
or Veronese is easy. The worthless pic
ture IS painted over or cleared off Or
the latest fashien-provided with a
new canvas face on which fine for
gerry has been painted.
Va1nish tinted with bitumen gives
appearance of age; licorie juice, ashes
stepped in water and lampblack are
used to initiate the dirt of time. There
are specialists in fly stains, clumsy
retouehing designed to emphasize age
by contrast, and in Signatures select
class, these latter, who call themselves
monogramists.
They know the manner OF each great
painter, the way he signed his pictures
a
times the name is cunningly concealed
under a layer OF dirt or paint, so that
the buyer of this particular "old mas
ter" may have the pleasure of discov-
ering 1t for himself
The author gives the names of sew
eral painters who find ready road to
wealth in multiplying for foreign mar
kets the Rousseaus, Diazs, Corots,
Daubigneys and Courbets and the like,
without which no home of luxury Is
deemed complete.
Unfinished studies by famous artists
sold after death at some official vendue
bear the regular sale stamp, price
less token of authenticity, wherefore
the clever forger makes the dimly sug-
gested picture a finished composition
which carries on its back an indisputa-
BILE certificate of genuineness.
Still more adroit is the trick played
after the Fromentin sale. where one of
these art harpies bought the painter S
Arab Falconer," painted on a wooden
panel. The panel was sawed through
edgeways, giving the forger genuine
Fromentine without the sale stamp and
a black pannel bearing the sale stamp.
Avnh ENnl
disprove the imitation.
sold far apart. with no way at hand to
Sometimes, it is pointed out. the nov
city of the trick employed works its
own defeat, as in the case of a Floren-
tine dealer who sold rare old paint
ing to a French collector. He offered
to send it to the buyers hotel and ask
ed him to write his name and address
on the back of the panel in order to re-
move all doubt. This was done, but
then the collector changed his mind
and carried the picture off despite the
dealers protestations.
When the traveller got home he took
the picture out of it's frame to clean it.
He found that he had brought away
two pictures. The first, which he had
bought, concealed a copy on the back
of which he had signed his name.
This was almost perfect rascalty.
If the collector had had the picture
sent to his hotel he would have receiv-
ed the copy. If he had protested that it
was not the picture he bought he would
have been shown his own signature on
the back OF the panel.
The italian government prohibits the
expectation of native art works except
by permission that is very hard to get
But the collectors and the ownefs of
old family pictures find no difficulty in
evading this. They order copies, put
them in place of the originals and Sc
cretly send the latter out of the coun-
try. Thus a genuine old italian mas
ter Is one of the easiest things to ac-
quire in the realm OF high priced art.