Forgers Use a Variety of Techniques to Fool Collectors

Q: Could you please review some of the methods forgers use to alter works of art? Are signature directories good for spotting problems? Ioccasionally see art for sale at small auctions, antique shops and collectives, but am reluctant to buy. 

A: You show good judgment by hesitating. Forgers are at least as much of a problem at small auctions as they are at the major sales. They also tend to make about as much progress at fooling people as forgery detectives do at foiling their efforts. Even though fakes represent only a small percentage of all available art, unless you know exactly what you're
doing or a seller provides incontrovertible proof of authenticity, you can be taken advantage of. 

To complicate matters these days, you also need proof that any art you're interested in buying hasn't been stolen. Once again, the great majority of art is in the possession of its rightful owners, but under certain circumstances, if you get caught with stolen art, you are financially responsible for it's return and not the party who sold it to you. Laws and statutes vary from state to state and country to country. Know what the situation is where you live and do business.  

Your best protection against forgeries is knowing what art by the artists you collect looks like. People who get fooled are often only familiar with artists' names and not much else. You need to know what brush strokes look like, what favorite subject matters and compositions are, where signatures are typically located, and what mediums, materials, sizes and
formats artists usually work in. Also know what the art looks like from the back, how it's usually framed, mounted, or displayed, how and where it's titled or numbered, and what gallery, manufacturer, or supplier tags or labels it's likely to have. 

Regarding examination techniques, black light has traditionally been used to detect irregularities on paintings, but recent advances by forgers are making this more and more difficult. Newly added signatures once flouresced and appeared to float above painted surfaces, but non-flourescing paints are now being used to counter this effect. Masking varnishes that impart overall translucent greenish looks to surfaces are also being used to hide inconsistencies. Black light is still worth using, however. It often shows previous restorations and gives other clues, positive as well as negative, to a painting's past. 

A good jeweler's lupe or 30-50 power pocket microscope can be used to identify locations where newly added paint has bled into nearby hairline age cracks. For example, if paint from a signature appears to run into the microscopic cracks directly beneath it, that could mean that the original surface paint dried, aged, and cracked long before the signature was
added. Other suspicious details that could indicate doctoring: 

* Old frames that have been cut down to give their paintings original period looks. (Check to see whether joints match the age of the frame or look fresh and recently cut). 

* Paper, either new or old, that has been glued over a painting's back. This is sometimes done to hide inconsistencies, condition problems, or manipulations. 

* Cleanly cut edges on canvas or artist's board that have no overhanging paint or primer. This may mean the art has been cut down from its original size. 

* Old nail or mounting marks on the back of an artist's board or stretcher bars may mean that a painting has been removed, doctored, and then replaced into either its original frame or different one. 

* New stretcher bars on old canvases. Restorers legitimately use new stretcher bars when old ones can no longer support a canvas, but forgers occasionally use them to help change a painting's identity. 

* On graphics, watercolors, and other works on paper, signatures that look fresher, bolder, or otherwise inconsistent with the art itself. 

* Labels or artist listings that have recently been glued onto unsigned works of art. Be careful unless these are as old as the art itself. No matter how good they sound, remember that the art is still unsigned. 

* Heresay or gossip that an unsigned work is by a particular artist ("The owner told me that this has been in his family for 100 years and was painted by John Doe") 

As for signature directories, they do not necessarily protect you against forgers. First of all, an artist's signature can change throughout the course of his career. Secondly, a forger can use the same signature directory to
learn how to fake a signature that you're using to identify it. Thirdly, attempting to determine authenticity by examining only the signature is one of the easiest ways to get stuck with a fake. 

Remember-- ask an expert whenever you're not sure. As for improving your ability to detect forgeries, study as many authentic period pieces as possible, get to know what they look like in every respect, learn from experts how they detect forgeries, see as many fakes as possible and have experts explain why they're fake, and train your eye by regularly
inspecting art under professional supervision.