A famous Polish realist artist who later determined that a forged painting has now returned to the Polish National Museum in Poznan.
Work, titled Vegetable market in Bramy Square, Eelaznej, Warsawattributed to the Impressionist painter Józef Pankiewicz and the date of 1888. The following year, Pankiewicz was awarded a silver medal at the Universal Fair in Paris, France. It was subsequently acquired by the Poznan National Museum in 1948.
In 2017, Michał Haake of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan noted the difference between paintings in the museum’s collection and replicas of originals published in post-war magazines.
That is, a woman carrying a basket has larger eyes, a larger nose, a smaller chin, and a smaller inclination of her head, making her ears visible – the latter is a feature that is not visible in the museum version.
The museum later investigated the claims, taking the paintings from public displays for analysis in 2019. The protector must eliminate widespread overeffects to assess the authenticity of the work. After cleaning, the canvas, structures and pigments were analyzed under a microscope.
The experts then realized the compositional differences, including simplifying the market hall’s numbers, logos and architectural elements. They believe that forgers may even use tracer paper to get the job done. After the work was completed, Pankiewicz’s signature was also applied. In addition, the size of this painting is slightly smaller than the size of the original.
“All the evidence points out that this was made in the early 20th century,” Agnieszka RęKawek, who is in charge of the research, told the TVP World. “The existence of signatures confirms that we are dealing with intentional forgery rather than reproduction.”
The fake paintings of an unidentified artist are now back next to the original photographs next to the museum, part of the larger exhibition “Submission to Illusion.” It is a case study of the research and conservation process.
As for the original, it is believed to have returned to Poland after the Pankiewicz award, but it is well known that it has been publicly available since 1890 and is still missing today.
