Hello -
 
I have a question that I would like to pose to this list for discussion.
I am not a museum professional but am curious about this topic.
 
I was reading an article recently where a confessed forger was completely
detailing a forgery operation and identified certain paintings in some
prominent museums which were from the operation.  Some museums took the
pieces in question and determined that they were indeed of modern origin.
The interesting part was one director made the comment that obviously it
was authentic because what else could it be.  To him it was authentic
because it looked authentic.  There are plenty of instances (like the
Getty's kouros) where authentication is made by stylistic evaluation and
not scientific examinations.
 
My question is simply what is the role of the lab in a museum?  The
opinion of the lab obviously carries different weight from institution to
institution, but what about 'industry-wide'.
 
Thanks
 
George
 
 
 
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George Mansoor                                        Cal State Northridge
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