Bust
early 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This Gothic-style bust of an angel or female saint is a forgery, purchased by the museum as an example of what a forgery might constitute. Parisian workshops of the early 20th century were famous for their restorations, but also produced many complete forgeries, often with a private collector specifically in mind. By the early 20th century, the market for Gothic sculpture had greatly expanded, and so many dealers were driven to criminal acts in order to fulfil this increased demand.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Stone |
Brief description | Stone bust of a female saint in a fake-Gothic style, French, probably early 20th century. |
Physical description | Williamson, Paul and Evelyn, P. Northern Gothic Sculpture 1200-1450. London, 1988, pp. 22, fig. 14 |
Object history | This Gothic-style bust of an angel or female saint is a forgery, purchased by the museum as an example of what a forgery might constitute. Parisian workshops of the early 20th century were famous for their restorations, but also produced many complete forgeries, often with a private collector specifically in mind. By the early 20th century, the market for Gothic sculpture had greatly expanded, and so many dealers were driven to criminal acts in order to fulfil this increased demand. |
Production | probably early 20th century, forgery. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This Gothic-style bust of an angel or female saint is a forgery, purchased by the museum as an example of what a forgery might constitute. Parisian workshops of the early 20th century were famous for their restorations, but also produced many complete forgeries, often with a private collector specifically in mind. By the early 20th century, the market for Gothic sculpture had greatly expanded, and so many dealers were driven to criminal acts in order to fulfil this increased demand. |
Bibliographic reference | Williamson, Paul and Evelyn, P. Northern Gothic Sculpture 1200-1450. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1988
p.22, fig.14 |
Collection | |
Accession number | A.8-1950 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON