Collection of the British Museum Victoria and Albert had recently been enriched by five «medieval» thumbnail established ... in the XIX century! All of them atributiruyutsya famous «French forger» - one of the most successful scam in the history of art, whose identity remains a mystery. As, however, and his ethnicity, which is presumed to scientists and researchers, has nothing to do with Spain.

According to the doctor Mark Evans (Mark Evans), the curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of miniatures from the manuscripts, it is important to have samples of works of «the Spanish forger», as they provide an excellent understanding of the perception medieval miniatures in the XIX century. These museum work, estimated at 20 thousand pounds, came from the collection of the curator of the department at Princeton University miniatures Gina Preston (Jean Preston), who inherited them from his father. They were handed over to the museum for display in the payment of inheritance taxes.

«Spanish forger» became «Spanish» in 1930, when his first work, performed in the style employed in the 1440's the Spanish artist Jorge Ingles (Jorge Ingles), was identified as counterfeit. Since then, there were many different guesses about its real origin - talk about Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, England and, most likely France. Scientists suggest that he worked for a sufficiently long period, from 1890's to 1920.

The number of works attributed to him over time is steadily increasing. In 1939, it was all of 14 miniatures, but by 1978, there are already 150. And now experts say about 348. Artworks «forger», executed in the spirit of artists XIV - XV centuries, and are in museums and private collections, and many of them may still not bad.

thumbnail received the Victoria and Albert Museum, depicting King David, the prophet Jonah and the whale, Archangel Michael, Susanna and the Elders, Joseph and wife Potifara. The works are made on parchment of the Italian antiphon around 1400. Author soskreb paper with old paint, and top-paid new figure and slightly erased its contours in order to give it a more antique look. But a recent scientific analysis showed that the paint used in the present did not exist in the Middle Ages, synthetic pigments, such as chromic yellow, emerald green and ultramarine blue.

Miniatures «Spanish forger» - narrative paintings with religious overtones, but to determine exactly what kind of scene is portrayed, quite difficult. For example, «King David» was the name only because the main character plays the harp. Author thumbnails shown great ingenuity, which sometimes facilitates its exposure. For example, in the same «Tsar David» a woman the right hairstyle XVI century, and left a woman dressed in the fashion of the XV century. But even this is said in favor of «the Spanish forger», because it shows that it is not simply copied the work of their predecessors, but also transformed some of the elements of the original, creating his own style.

material produced Catherine Onuchin

Source: theartnewspaper.com , independent.co.uk , artinvestment.ru