What at first glance appears to be a fake is often one. The history of culture and art is full of examples of this – for example, a fake version of Pablo Picasso’s “La Femme Au Chapeau Bleu” was sold for $2 million in 2011, and German artist Wolfgang Beltracchi forged $21 million worth of paintings over 30 years of work.
However, it can also be the other way around – a fake turns out to be the original, unexpectedly and very profitable for its owners. Here are the top 7 “fake” works of art that turned out to be genuine.
7. "Bather Seated on the Seashore" by Pablo Picasso
As they say, every cloud has its silver lining. Philip Stapleton, a resident of the English town of Crawley, bought a painting similar to Picasso's for £230. And he didn't overpay, because six months later Stapleton contacted the auctioneer and learned that he had purchased an original by Pablo Picasso.
It was a smaller version of "Bather Seated on the Seashore" that Picasso painted for his friend Roland Penrose.
As a result, the painting was sold at auction for 8 thousand pounds.
6. "Self-Portrait", Rembrandt
The first ever Rembrandt "selfie", which shows the artist at the age of 29, is valued at £30 million (or more than $38 million), although the British National Trust says it will never sell the painting.
For a long time, it was considered a fake self-portrait by Rembrandt – possibly the work of one of his students. This opinion persisted until 2005, when the authoritative Rembrandt expert Ernst van de Wetering took an interest in the painting. But more tests and empirical data were needed to verify the authenticity of the work. So the Self-Portrait was sent to the Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridgeshire.
«Careful cleaning and removal of several layers of aged and yellowed varnish, which were added to the painting much later, have revealed the original colours and style of painting (Rembrandt)", said one of the institute's experts.
5. "Portrait of a Young Girl", Rembrandt
Once again, a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn is on the list of fake works of art that turned out to be genuine. This time, it is not a selfie, but a portrait, and one that has gone through the “real-fake-real” process. At first, it was recognized as a genuine work by the artist, but in the 1970s, it was “demoted” to a painting by Rembrandt’s student.
In 2018, the painting arrived at New York University, where it was cleaned, removing a layer of varnish to reveal a fine brush and colors consistent with Rembrandt's style.
The restorers also used X-rays and innovative imaging techniques to confirm the portrait's authenticity.
4. "Madonna of the Pomegranate", Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli was one of the most famous artists of the 15th century. He lived in Florence during the height of the Renaissance, when ancient anatomical knowledge was being recreated through dissections of the dead. Such knowledge supposedly allowed Botticelli to improve the iconography of his masterpiece, Madonna of the Pomegranate, by including a hidden image of the heart and its anatomy.
But this is not the only interesting fact associated with this painting. Its smaller version was considered a skillful copy. However, in 2018, experts from English Heritage restored the painting, removing a considerable layer of varnish and dirt and X-raying the canvas. And they came to the conclusion that the small "Madonna of the Pomegranate" really appeared in Botticelli's workshop.
3. “Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens”, Rubens
The portrait of Rubens' daughter and first wife Isabella Brant was sold by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013 to raise money for other art. At the time, experts believed that the portrait was not by Rubens, but by his follower.
However, several prominent art historians, including the head of the Rubens House museum in Antwerp, have claimed that the painting is by Rubens. The controversy over the portrait continues to this day.
Interesting fact: although Clara Serena passed away at the age of 12, her father painted her portraits later in life. One of them was called "Portrait of the Maid of the Infanta Isabella", the other, more simply, "Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens".
2. "The Pearl of Modena" by Raphael
This painting was long attributed to an unknown artist and had no particular value. However, Italian experts have discovered that the "Pearl of Modena" is part of Raphael's original composition - the first version of the Holy Family, which was planned by the artist in the period 1518-1520. However, in April 1520 he died.
Raphael was only able to make a sketch, and the painting was probably completed by one of his students.
1. “Bust of Napoleon”, Rodin
A master sculptor's bust of the French emperor sank into oblivion in an American town, only to be discovered by chance.
The white marble statue has long graced the council chambers of Madison, a New Jersey city of about 18,000 people. In fact, for more than 80 years, the bust sat on a pedestal that was casually leaned on during meetings.
But in 2014, art student Mallory Mortillaro, hired to inventory the building's art, noticed the signature "A. Rodin" on the bust, in the sculptor's recognizable style.
Intrigued by the discovery, Mortillaro consulted experts and dug into archives, determined to confirm whether it was indeed the real Rodin.
Eventually, she approached the Auguste Rodin Committee in Paris. And the mystery was solved: in the collection of documents was a photograph of Rodin posing with the bust that was thought to be lost.
In September 2015, Rodin expert Jerome Le Blay traveled to Madison. It took him a few seconds to confirm the authenticity of the work.
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