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Cultural Heritage Meets the Art Forensics Enigma: Raman Spectroscopic Authentication and the Exposure of Fakes and Forgeries in Art Works

2022; Springer International Publishing; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-3-031-14379-3_6

2366-6226

Howell G. M. Edwards, Peter Vandenabeele, Philippe Colomban,

Building materials and conservation

The role of scientific analysis in the attribution of art works to specific periods and sources of manufacture is pivotal in the establishment of their authenticity when coupled with historical documentation and provenance. The parallel feature of expert opinion for the reliable determination of the artist and perhaps factory or place of origin is already a well-established procedure and necessarily reinforces the scientific data interpretation and documentary evidence in ideal cases. However, in several notable examples this is not maintained and then it is mandatory to examine where the evidential process between the three approaches breaks down. It is vitally important for the true assessment of the attribution of a work of art for cultural heritage preservation that we understand how the different interpretations of information at the arts/science interface operate. This concept is explored through the medium of five case studies of art works or museum artefacts, all of which involve the presentation of Raman spectroscopic data, which are discussed herein and which highlight some of the inherent difficulties and pitfalls which can be encountered in the interpretation of data and opinions in the holistic approach to art attribution.