The Problem With Experts

"Fake or Fortune?" is a popular BBC One documentary series that investigates the authenticity and provenance of notable artworks, co-presented by Fiona Bruce and art expert Philip Mould.

In the show, the hosts take a work of art of uncertain maker and /or of questionable provenance and attempt to collect enough evidence so that an expert can make a firm attribution to some famous artist.  Their efforts include the study of the style and craftmanship of the painting, analysis of marks on the frame and canvas and the types of paint used, combined with historical records of pervious ownership.  Once a dossier is built, it is submitted to the relevant expert (frequently the maintainers of a catalog raissone).  It is quite fascinating and edited to be very dramatic.  But as much as I sometimes feel disappointed by the outcome, I am even more disappointed by some of the experts.

Here, the mount to the left side of the escutcheon has been cleaned

I will admit it is not easy to be an expert.  One wrong judgement cannot only undermine the expert's future credibility, but also the authenticity of all the works he has authenticated in the past.  Further, in France and no doubt in many other countries, a wrong judgement can have legal and financial ramifications as well.  An excellent discussion of the state of the law can be found in the ART@LAW article, "Expert opinion: a U-turn by the French Supreme Court" by Michael Petrides.  In France, "supported by their own experts, French judges have gone as far as overruling the artist’s ‘leading’ market expert.  In some cases, the acknowledged market expert was ordered by the Court to authenticate a given artwork, and occasionally, the expert’s refusal to acknowledge the authenticity of an artwork was found to have been negligent, giving rise to the expert’s liability in damages."

So with all these pressures, risk aversion is natural.  So why do the experts on Fake or Fortune bother me?  Because they frequently justify their decision based solely on style.

As I have said elsewhere, in the 18th century, a classically trained artist (fine or decorative) would have the ability imitate the style of most other artists.  

Take this chair by 

The varnish-filled holes from earlier mounts can clearly be seen in this photo.

the problem with experts fake or fortune?

"Fake or Fortune?" is a popular BBC One documentary series that investigates the authenticity and provenance of notable artworks, co-presented by Fiona Bruce and art expert Philip Mould.

As I have said elsewhere, in the 18th century, a classically trained artist (fine or decorative) would have the ability imitate the style of most other artists.

Take this chair by