A quiet nightmare haunting museum directors is the fear that they may wind up with a fake masterpiece on their hands. Last week Sir Philip Hendy, director of London's august National Gallery, woke up to find that for him the dream had come true. A London art dealer had proved that the National Gallery's Virgin with Angel and Child by the 15th century Italian, Francesco Francia, was a fake.
For Art Dealer Leonard F. Koester, the matter of the false Virgin had been a 6,000-guinea ($18,000) question, the price he paid a year ago...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
