On Ars Geminis

Fakes, Forgeries and Copies of Medieval and Renaissance Paintings: Scientifc Diagnostics for Art History

Abstract

The LANIAC (Laboratorio di analisi non invasive su opere d’arte antica, moderna e contemporanea) of the University of Verona (Italy) and the CAEM (Centre d’Art d’Època Moderna) of the University of Lleida (Spain), two university twin centres, share their working methodologies on copies, forgeries and fakes using diferent diagnostic methods. The present paper delves with the universes of copies, fakes and forgeries. Concepts and practices like motifs reusing, pastiches confection and stylistic recreations are dealt here by displaying diferent cases of study examined by both centres. Through the technical imaging and the artistic diagnosis some conclusions on the proper identifcation of each object are drawn, in order to understand such artworks in the time and space axis and in their whole materiality and sense.