Page 79 - Studio International - July/August 1967

ficial. I have often in the past emphasized the Right The Card-players, by Pieter de Hoogh
variations in quality which occur between one (1632c.-83)
genuine work and another. Even the most out- The inspiration for Van Meegeren's forgery.
Reproduced by gracious permission of Her Majesty
standing of artists is capable of producing bad
the Queen.
paintings, just as Shakespeare wrote pages of pure
tedium. Bad but genuine paintings are apt to
complicate the problem, since most forgeries Below right, Pastiche entitled Die Trinkergesellschaft
Forgery by Hans van Meegeren imitating Pieter de
superficially considered present the appearance
Hoogh and sold for 219,000 gulden
of something thrown off in a hurry, or done on an Courtesy: Ullstein Bilderdienst, Berlin.
off-day. To differentiate between the two things is
often difficult, and this is a cogent reason for seek-
Below Lothar Malskat. Forgery of a mural painting
ing work of fine quality where the chances of depicting a medieval head in the Cathedral at
being deceived are infinitely less. Schleswig, taken from a photograph of the film
But, be the quality what it may, style is both actress Hansi Knoteck
individual and personal in its broader aspects and Courtesy: Ullstein Bilderdienst, Berlin.
also in the details. The student who aspires to
detect forgeries of modern painting therefore has
to know as much as possible about the style and
the technique of the artist in whom he intends to
specialize, and to remain alert to question depar-
tures from normal practice. He also needs to
know as much about the life of the artist as it is
possible to find out, because no information is too
trivial to be entirely useless. It is surprising how
often otherwise skilful forgeries have been detected
by errors of omission or commission which, slight
in themselves, have been sufficient to make the
spurious nature of a work obvious. To return to the
Van Meegeren shown above, on one point alone
it is possible to decide that, whatever else this
painting could be, it is not the work of De Hoogh,
and not of the period of the costumes. The stand-
ing woman rests her hand on a jug of German
faience which in all but the shape is the same as
similar jugs which quite commonly occur in
seventeenth-century Dutch painting. But this
shape happens to belong to the eighteenth century,
and it was later found among the forger's studio
`props'. This is an excellent example of how a
forger can destroy the deceptiveness of his work by
carelessness in matters of detail.
It was Max Friedlander, one of the most noted
of modern critics and historians, who said that
`the eye sleeps, until the spirit wakes it with a
question'. The forger's task is made simple when
the eye is not easily awakened. Some prices for minor modern paintings Henri L' Automne dans Finistère, signed and dated
The art of photography is invaluable to the realized recently at Sotheby's '09, Provenance: Durand-Ruel, Paris, 28½ x 23½
expert. Photographs of paintings are often more in.-£1,050; Le Sidaner, Henri Ville au bord d'un
revealing than the paintings themselves, since they Blanche, Jacques-Emile Au bord d'un Yacht, Fleuve, on board, signed, 12¾ x 16 in.-£1,050;
exhibit the work in the simpler terms of black and signed and dated 1881, 441 x 34 in. Exhibited: Denis, Maurice Mere et Enfants dans le jardin au
white and frequently uncover discrepancies Paris, Salon, 1882-£450; Portrait d'une jeune Femme, bord de la Mer, on board, signed with the mono-
which might otherwise pass unnoticed. Not every signed and dated '95, 63 x 371 in.-£260; Chéret, gram, Provenance: Galerie Druet, Paris, 15 x 21
work can be examined in this way, but those of an Jules La Farandole 681 x 771 in. Provenance: in.-£480; Le Repos, signed and dated 1903
artist whose draughtsmanship forms a significant Misia Sert, Paris-£600; Forain, Jean-Louis Le (probably a portrait of Madame Denis and her
feature of his work are especially suitable. Modele a l' Atelier 28 x 23 in.-£1,000; Pissarro, daughter), 20½ x 16¾ in.-£450; ,Deux Aquatiques,
These preliminary remarks are generalizations, Camille Paysage à Pontoise, stamped with initials signed and dated 1908, 371 x 301 in.-£1,700;
and it might, at this stage, be helpful to add yet (Lugt 613a) painted c. 1872, 8¾ x 13 in.-£1,000; Friesz, Emile-Othon La Croisée des Chemins,
another. It is wise to approach every painting, no Renoir, Pierre-Auguste Etude d' Anemones, stam- signed and dated '39, signed, inscribed with the
matter how august the collection, with a question- ped with signature, painted c. 1906-10, 91 x 74 in. title and dated on the reverse, 25 x 311 in.-£900;
ing eye. Most of them are beyond reproach, but -£1,350; Goenueutte, Norbert Le Boulevard de Camoin, Charles Village au bord de la Mer, signed
we all have our favourite subjects for suspicion. Clichy par un Temps de Neige, on panel, signed, Provenance: Collection Robinow, Hamburg, 20¾
Van Meegeren, for instance, was not the first nor painted in the winter of 1875-6 (an almost identi- X 25 in.-£1,000; Friesz, Emile-Othon Le Port
the cleverest forger of Vermeers. There are cal painting is in the Tate Gallery, showing the de Toulon, signed and dated '35, 23 x 281 in.-
several other paintings purporting to be by this same view, but a day or two earlier when the snow £1,150; Kisling, Moise Portrait d'une jeune
artist, very much more deceptive and sometimes had just fallen), 71 x 91 in.-£1,600; Renoir, Hollandaise, signed, inscribed and dated 'Paris
illustrated, about which a number of experts have Pierre-Auguste Les Falaises a Varengeville, signed 1932', 43 x 321 in. Exhibited: Pittsburgh, Carnegie
grave doubts, although it would be invidious to and dated '79, Exhibited: Southampton Art Institute, no. 83-£2,800; Laprade, Pierre Femme
pinpoint them in the present context. Decorant un Vase, signed, 23½ x 19 in.-£1,000.
Gallery, 1947, 191 x 23¾ in.-£1,300; Moret,
q