Tell a fake
You see a painting on the far wall of the gallery. You’re not the kind of buyer who is easily impressed, but even you have to admit that there’s something about this piece – the depth, maybe, or the way the fruit seems to glow the more you look at it, surrounded by the prison of darkness – that is special somehow. So you go the long way round. You don’t want to alert the gallery to your interest right away. Better, first, to have a look at it from another angle.
You walk closer, but with your back to it. When you turn you catch a glimpse; not much, but enough that you get a better idea of what it’s all about.
You don’t know what happened: 10 minutes later you have bought it and are positively beaming.
But…
Later on a friend tell you, wait a minute, that this isn’t exactly what you thought it was. You’ve been duped! It couldn’t be faker…
Is this you? You may have been on a painting holiday and learned how to create dimension and scale, but does that make you an expert? Sadly not. Here are a few ways to check if the picture you have seen is actually a fake:
what guarantee do you have that it’s really the original? Ask the gallery attendant to give you the low-down
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Look very closely at it. Always take a magnifying glass of some description. If you can’t investigate it at this intimate level then you shouldn’t be parting with so much money.
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What about the frame? Yes it might look nice and the gilding might look the part too, but what guarantee do you have that it’s really the original? Ask the gallery attendant to give you the low-down and don’t accept blatant lies or shows of ignorance.
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The biggest issue: ask to look at the back of the piece. If the top and sides of the canvas are brand-new looking then chances are that this didn’t get born in the 18th Century…also look at the weight of the canvas and touch it carefully. Does it feel heavy enough to be that old? Old canvases were generally much heavier than new, cheaper canvases and that is a fact.
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What is the piece’s history? Where did it come from, and who did the gallery get it from? Don’t accept a vague distant idea of where it came from. Ideally you want a full and proper idea of this, or else you won’t be buying the picture. Make this very clear and explain that you will not be duped!
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