The Art Dealership of Saeed Motamed

A Case Study on Forgery, Expertise and Networking

Abstract

The authenticity of the objects provided by the Iranian art dealer Saeed Motamed to Weltmuseum Vienna and other European museums will be analyzed in this paper. Upon initial analysis it is suspected that the objects mentioned are either not original and/or have been tampered with. Some of these ceramic objects appear twice in different dimensions, while some others seem to have been inspired by the latest excavations from Iran. Some objects with similar dimensions, depictions and supposed date of origin seem to appear in many museums over and over again. This paper will examine these cases and will try to find answers as to whether these objects were authentic, misdated or reworked to appear older and/or more interesting.