It may seem surprising that the ‘Portrait Group’ could ever have been mistaken for an authentic Italian portrait of the late 15th century, even without the insight of modern scientific analysis. The hard linearity of the figures grossly exaggerates the delicate clarity of 15th-century profile paintings realistic, and the faces themselves seem just a little too modern.
However, early 20th-century viewers could easily have discounted features made familiar by the taste of their own age. Details that now appear inappropriately modern would have simply proved for those viewers the ‘ageless’ appeal of Renaissance painting techniques.
Marjorie E. Wieseman is Curator of Dutch paintings at National Gallery. This material was published on 30 June 2010 to coincide with the exhibition Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries
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