You Can Prove A Fake,

but you can’t prove originals,

so said Stefan Simon, a scientist who specializes in authenticating ancient works, I have taken this from an admittedly old newspaper article, only because it ties in neatly with a Listverse article I was reading today that was published yesterday regarding fakes and forgeries in the art world, one of the 10 featured works in the article is the bust of Nefertiti, it is claimed it is a fake, I have reprinted this from the article,

“Suddenly we had in our hands the most alive Egyptian artwork. You cannot describe it with words. You must see it.” So wrote the archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in his diary shortly after his team unearthed the famous bust of Nefertiti.

Borchardt was right. The bust—said to depict the wife of Akhenaten, Egypt’s Sun King—is indeed a revelation. With its strikingly vivid colors and anatomical fidelity, the work manages to convey an aura of majesty that contrasts with its sheer delicacy. It’s almost unbelievable that such an exquisite masterpiece could have survived through the centuries.

Of course, if we listen to Swiss art historian Henri Stierlin, it is unbelievable.

According to Stierlin, the bust’s false reputation began with a duped aristocratic. Sometime in 1912, the story goes, Borchardt commissioned an artist to create a decorative piece on which to display an ancient necklace. Wanting to experiment with ancient materials, Borchardt ordered the bust to be painted with pigments from his archaeological archives. (Hence the reason why it has been able to pass forensic tests.)

However, when the bust was seen by the the Prussian prince, Johann Georg, he mistook it for a real artifact. Prince Georg was reportedly so enamored with the work that Borchardt lacked the nerve to tell him the truth. It wasn’t long before the deception took on a life of its own, and today, the world reveres the bust of Nefertiti as a 3,000-year-old treasure . . . when really it’s a 100-year-old fake. (The bust currently resides in the Berlin Museum).

so is the bust of Nefertiti a fake? remember the opening of the post, 'You can prove a fake, but you can’t prove originals', but in any event the article with all 10 featured works is a good read over your morning coffee.