Among the exhibits - the false work by Botticelli, Dürer and Holbein

This summer London's National Gallery will present to the public for fake paintings acquired by it by mistake . The exhibition will include over 40 works, including a fake Botticelli, Holbein and Dürer.

Thanks to advances in technology and the emergence of new methods for detecting forgeries the museum did not buy fake papers for more than half a century (at least so many of his representatives). The latest fake entered his collection at the end of 1950 - it was the canvas "An elderly man in a chair, supposedly signed by Rembrandt. Incidentally, many curators admired how well written this picture. Department store employee exposure Rachel Billinge (Rachel Billinge) said that sometimes fake like her even more than the original: "Technique them is just wonderful. And how much effort they are making! While many of the original work is actually performed bored apprentice ».

New technologies help determine the date of creation of the work, but also authored more difficult. According to the head of the research department, Ashok Roy (Ashok Roy), to address these issues must be art historians.

One of the major scandals, was associated with a picture of "Hans Holbein, titled" The Man with the skull, acquired in 1845. Even before its purchase, many experts argued that the work is false. Just weeks after its inclusion in the collection of scientists determined the age of the board, which reads the image - it turned out that the painting was created after 1543, ie after his death. The reputation of the then director of the National Gallery, Sir Charles Lock Eastlake (Charles Lock Eastlake), of course, was severely damaged.

And in June, 1874 First there was such a curiosity: the museum had paid for a fake Botticelli more than for the present. This is a picture of "Allegory", which, according to many experts, was paired with a popular work of "Venus and Mars. "Allegory" even thought it more valuable. It was later revealed that the product is pastish executed a follower of the great painter.

Sometimes it's vice versa: paintings, purchased as a work of unknown artists or as copies of original works, these are the creations of famous artists. "Degraded" canvases, however, still more.

Exhibition at the National Gallery called "Careful study: forgery, mistakes and discoveries» (Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries) . It will open on June 30 and will last till September 12.

Material prepared Yulia Maximova, AI

Sources: independent.co.uk , artinvestment.ru