This article from M.A.D. came across my screen yesterday. I found it very interesting.
Civil War Secretary
If you search this blog you will find other posts on fakes. In particular, you should review the post "When is a Fake Antique?"
Unless the museum actually destroys this piece it will become an antique one day.
It is certainly curious and should have been more carefully examined by the "experts." Unfortunately, the "experts" who are working in the field these days gained most of their experience through books, papers and professional presentations by others.
After standing at the bench and restoring antiques for 50 years you gain considerable insight.
While the perpetrators of such fakes are beyond contempt, I find these sort of stories fascinating. Being a Detroiter, one I'm quite familiar with is the so-called "Brewster" chair still on display at the Henry Ford Museum.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/52590/#slide=gs-181168
I should have also mentioned that I loved your presentations at Williamsburg. Add marquetry to the list of things I'd like to try.
ReplyDelete