www.AntiqueFurnitureAuthenticity.com  Last updating: 22/02/2008 
 

Fondazione Gottfried Matthaes
 

Determining the authenticity of Furniture
and the wooden sculpture
 A section of  the Museo d'Arte e Scienza

 

Scientific Methods
 Spectroscopic Analysis of Wood:

Museo d'Arte e scienza -Via Sella 4 - Milano
IR Spectroscopy: absolute dating of different wooden parts of furniture.
Verifying use of old wood.
IR Spectrography: to identify wood essences.
ATR Spectroscopy: to analyse patinas and veneers.
   

 

Example: Spectroscopic dating analysis of a table (shown in the photo). Only the four legs are authentic, while the other parts are much younger.

These tests can be requested also by sending directly to our laboratory samples of wood dust taken from the furniture item following the instructions provided in our website: www.SpectroscopyForArt.com.

 

 

 

Acknowledged value
of the museum’s scientific laboratory and its methods
for determining authenticity


 

Attitudes towards and use of scientific methods are influenced by local laws and customs.

Basis of judgment: the situation in Italy (where the museum is located)

The prime institution for the fight against forgery and imitations is the Guardia di Finanza or Financial Police. The most recent catalogue on the determination of authenticity in art, published by the same in June 2007, contains an exclusive six-page presentation of the scientific laboratory of the Museo d’Arte e Scienza in which its methods for dating paintings, furniture, and objects in ivory and other materials are illustrated in detail and their validity, in effect, endorsed.

 Judicial proceedings. The probatory value of the spectroscopic dating method is crucial to the outcome of civil and penal judgments involving the determination of the actual age of art works.

The art market: the percentage of unauthentic art works currently on the market is very high. As a consequence a section of the trade rejects scientific methods out of economic necessity. Furthermore, when dating tests give negative results, dealers often tend to maintain that it is not the art work that is at fault but the scientific test result, or that the method is unknown!!

 Art lovers and investors. Copies and fakes will continue to be offered as originals as long as buyers of art refuse to follow the same line of conduct adopted when acquiring other “products”, that is to say insisting on a dependable guarantee of the object’s authenticity as the condition for its purchase. It is senseless to content oneself with the personal opinions of experts alone in this age of technology and science. The art market will become trustworthy only when the art lover becomes a connoisseur and, as envisaged by the law, demands a valid certificate.
  

 

 


 

 

Other scientific tests and examinations made by our laboratory.
 

The Museum laboratory’s mission is to improve existing scientific methods and
elaborate new methods for the ascertainment of the authenticity of art objects.

Appraisals and valuations not available.
The laboratory’s instruments and know-how for the determining of authenticity are at the disposal of collectors, art experts, restorers, art galleries and museums. (The staff of the laboratory, who speaks the main European languages, is at your disposal for any explanations).

 

Examples of spectra of the spectroscopic analysis of other material than wood

These spectra supply a clear verdict about the nature of the material and allow to identify, for instance, types of glues, lacquers, ivory, horns, bones, old and new amber, plastic etc. 
 

Evaluation of the use of natural or synthetic glues with Wood's light.

  

Monochromatic and ultraviolet light, as well as microscopic research show up the quality and the wear of gilding.
 
Identification of working techniques to verify the period of construction of furniture.   Analysis of natural or artificial
damages and signs of wear.		   Microscopic and chemical analyses for the evaluation of mounts, locks, figures and other parts made of bronze and other metals.



 

Some practical tests for ascertaining authenticity for furniture's owners
 
Inspection of signs of wear and of the patina

 

Furniture feet, owing to contact with the floor, show the typical wear due to repeated washing: this authentic and convincing characteristic is known as a "wash patina".

A natural rub patina formed where hands rested on the surface of the wood. A magnifying glass permits the distinction of a natural patina from a mechanical one.

 

 

Optical analysis of inlaid work: handmade or industrial work?

 

Decisive for the identification of handmade work are the gaps in the wood and the irregular inlaid pieces typical of handmade work.

Inlaid work made by machine in a mould shows pattern edges that fit together perfectly.

 


 


Interactive test stations in the other rooms of the Museum

at the disposal of visitors for simple tests for ascertaining the authenticity of antiques

 

test station room 8:
sniff test on excavated pottery

test station room 9:
test for revealing use of plastic

identification of glues and other synthetic materials with Wood’s light

test station room 9: examination with a magnifying glass of signs of wear and decorations on china
 

 

optical examination of signs of wear to identify an authentic piece of silverware

shadow reveals industrial or handcrafted manufacture of glass

the microscope distinguishes authentic patinas and encrustations from faked ones

the dull sound of a porcelain item reveals hidden restoration work