A method for assessing the authorship of a painting comprising the steps a) providing a collection of a plurality of original paintings by a particular artist and generating at least one digital image of each original painting of the collection of a plurality of original paintings; b) acquiring classification data for each of the digital images of each original painting of the collection, wherein the classification data is a reference data set of classification data for original paintings of the artist; c) providing a further painting and creating at least one digital image of the further painting; d) acquiring further classification data for the digital image of the further painting; and e) comparing the further classification data with the reference data set of classification data for original paintings, whereby if a minimum agreement is reached or exceeded between the further classification data and the reference data set, an original painting of the artist is concluded and otherwise a forgery is concluded, wherein the acquisition (30, 60) of the classification data and the further classification data is carried out using the WND-CHARM method, characterized in that no classification data are acquired for homogeneous portions, in particular monochrome and/or detail-less portions of the respective digital image or of a respective partial image piece, wherein the homogeneous portions of the digital image are detected by means of a color value or gray value histogram by determining a maximum number of color values or gray values having a certain minimum frequency in the histogram, wherein a homogeneous portion is concluded if the number of color values or gray values having the minimum frequency in the histogram of the portion is smaller than the maximum number, wherein the respective digital image is decomposed according to a first raster of adjoining image portions and further according to a second raster of adjoining image portions, wherein the first and second rasters (200, 300) can be shifted relative to one another by an offset in at least one of two axes perpendicular to one another in the image plane of the digital image, and wherein the acquisition (30, 60, 100) of classification data is carried out both for the partial image sections decomposed according to the first raster and for the partial image sections decomposed according to the second raster. a) providing a collection of a plurality of original paintings by a particular artist and generating at least one digital image of each original painting of the collection of a plurality of original paintings; b) acquiring classification data for each of the digital images of each original painting of the collection, wherein the classification data is a reference data set of classification data for original paintings of the artist; c) providing a further painting and creating at least one digital image of the further painting; d) acquiring further classification data for the digital image of the further painting; and e) comparing the further classification data with the reference data set of classification data for original paintings, whereby if a minimum agreement is reached or exceeded between the further classification data and the reference data set, an original painting of the artist is concluded and otherwise a forgery is concluded,