Tra virtuosismo e truffa: l’arte del falsario

Abstract

The history of artistic forgery boasts rather old origins and numerous facets. On this occasion, some emblematic cases between the Cinquecento and the present day (from the Sleeping Cupid of Michelangelo to the ‘Modiglianis’ that hit the headlines only some decades ago) will be taken into account, along with the activity of some great forgers who lived between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Gifted with notable technical ability and virtuosic stylistic “mobility”, some of these realized true masterpieces in meeting the requests of a growing market of Italian and foreign collectors. Above all others, one should mention the names of Egisto Rossi (1824-1899), falsifier of Old Masters’ drawings, and that of Icilio Federico Joni (nicknamed Paicap; 1866-1946), who specialized in counterfeiting fondo oro paintings by the Sienese School and was the leader of the city’s forgers.