Know the works considered fake that were true

Counterfeits are a serious problem in the art world. According to some studies, up to 20% of works of art exhibited in museums can be faked. However, there is a phenomenon of works that were previously considered forgeries but were later recognized as originals. In this article, we'll provide some examples of when this happened.

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Check out works that were mistakenly considered fake

Distrust regarding the veracity of a work is a well-known feeling in the art world. Forgeries seem to be part of everyday life for thousands of artists around the world. But one thing that many people may not know is that there are some cases where the reverse happens, that is is, in which they believe that a certain work is not original, when in fact it is, although this is not common. Check out some cases where this happened now.

1. Rembrandt's Self Portrait

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, a Dutch painter, is known as the “King of Selfies” as he created more than 100 self-portraits during his lifetime. However, there is one specific painting, which belongs to the National Trust in the UK and has been found to be a forgery – but is, in fact, an original work by the painter.

Because it was believed to be fake, this painting was kept for many years until, in 2013, a specialist in Rembrandt's paintings investigated the work personally and found that it was original. This was proved after removing the layers of varnish from the painting, showing the original colors of the Dutch painter's style.

2. Portrait of a Young Woman by Rubens

When the painting was sold in 2013 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, museum insiders believed that the painting had actually been painted by a follower of Peter Paul Rubens. However, the truth came out when experts from the Antwerp museum, which is dedicated to the painter's works, carried out an analysis and found that it was original.

3. Van Gogh's Sunset

After more than 100 years stored in a museum attic, due to speculation that it was a fake painting of Vincent Van Gogh, specialists used advanced technologies and discovered that it was a painting original. The procedure analyzed the paint pigments, the numbering of the painting that corresponded to the artist's inventory, the canvas used and much more to prove authorship.

4. Raphael's Young Woman

The portrait, measuring 30cm by 40cm, was long discarded as a copy. worthless work of the Italian Renaissance master and abandoned in the vaults of a museum, in the north of Italy.

Its elaborate carved and gilded frame caught the attention of Mario Scalini, acting supervisor of the arts of the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy, in a casual view of constructions.

Scalini had the painting analyzed by art experts. “The results… allow us to state with reasonable certainty that the work was painted by Raphael,” he said. The portrait is believed to have been started by Raphel but completed by one of his most prominent pupils, Giulio Romano, after the master's death in 1520.