Chemical examination confirmed the presence on the canvas, sold at Sotheby's auction as the work of Francesco Parmigianino for $842 500, the presence of modern colorful pigment

• Saint Jerome
  , considered the masterpiece of Francesco Parmigianino, was a forgery
  artnet.com

the Painting "Saint Jerome" allegedly painted by Mannerist Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (1503-1540), or Parmigianino, was another episode high-profile cases of forgeries of old masters, which first rocked the art-рынок in the fall of 2016. With this large-scale exposure of the forgeries of the old masters market, until then considered very robust, not faced since the "Vermeer" by van Meegeren. We are talking about approximately 25 works costing up to $200 million in total.

Dubious open named until four works, including "St. Jerome" under Parmigianino. In addition, this "Venus" by Lucas Cranach allegedly sold to a London gallery three years ago for £6 million in the collection of Prince Liechtenstein; "portrait of an unknown" under Frans Hals, sold through Sotheby's for £8.4 million, and "David with the head of Goliath", bought the young collector as a work of Orazio Gentileschi.

Chemical analysis of the paint layer of "St. Jerome", originally attributed to Francesco Parmigianino the painter or his circle, he held auction house Sotheby's. More precisely, its research Department is established on the basis of recently purchased auction house firm Orion Analytical. Leading expert of the Department, James Martin took 21 a sample of the paint layer, and each of them was discovered synthetic phthalocyanine green pigment, used for the first time after about four centuries after the death of Parmigianino.

the auction house admitted its mistake and promised to return to the buyer paid for the painting in 2012 and $842 500. But there is a problem with the deliverer, the French critic, who refused to return his share of the proceeds of sale — $672 000. In the end, Sotheby's was forced to apply for the deliverer to court.

it is still unknown who is the author of these brilliant fakes are freely sold through galleries and auction houses. Work "Gentileschi", for example, even exhibited on loan at the National gallery in London. While it is known only that many things had passed through the hands of the French art-дилера Giuliano Ruffini (Ruffini Giulano).

the Material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources: artnet.com, artinvestment.ru