FAKE OR FORTUNE: 9X02 JEAN LEON GEROME

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  • čas přidán 4. 08. 2021
  • Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate a small oil painting of a man praying in a mosque, a scene filled with meticulously painted and intriguing detail. Its owner, Jon Swihart, bought it at auction in 1999 and believed it to be the work of the nineteenth-century French artist Jean-Leon Gerome, who was a leading figure in the Orientalist genre of painting.
    When Jon bought the picture, it was listed as 'Circle of Gerome', having been downgraded by the leading authority on the artist at that time, Professor Gerald Ackerman. Previously, however, it had been fully attributed to Gerome, and Jon felt intuitively that it was a genuine work by the artist. Through their shared love of Gerome, Jon and Professor Ackerman had got to know each other and become friends, but Jon bought the picture without consulting him and without knowing that it was Professor Ackerman who had downgraded the picture from a genuine Gerome. It became a sore point between the two of them, and they chose never to discuss the matter again.
    After Professor Ackerman passed away in 2016, Jon began to wonder again about the authenticity of the picture and got in touch with Fake or Fortune? to see if the team could help. On a video call from his home in Santa Monica, California, Jon reveals to Fiona and Philip that he paid over $6,000 for the painting - a high price for a work considered to be 'circle of'. But as Philip explains, if proven genuine the picture could be worth as much as £100,000.
    As ever, the team use science and good old-fashioned detective work to get to the truth about this picture. The investigation leads Philip to Barnsley in South Yorkshire, where he sees a promising preparatory sketch for Jon’s picture, but he also comes across a damning letter from Professor Ackerman in the archives that raises the spectre of a faker at work. Meanwhile, Fiona follows the trail of clues in the painting itself and discovers that the historical and cultural inaccuracies common in Orientalist paintings raise more questions than answers.
    The evidence is gathered, but do they have enough to convince the new Gerome authority that Jon’s instincts were right all along?

Komentáře • 346

  • @NyanyiC
    @NyanyiC Před 2 lety +42

    The owner is a great artist. One of his works will be on fake or fortune a hundred years from now 😁

  • @mn7669
    @mn7669 Před 7 měsíci +7

    Absolutely love this program! I learn so much in every episode!

  • @Crystalabrown
    @Crystalabrown Před 2 lety +13

    I'm lucky to have 2 works by the Artist Jon Swihart - who is the owner of the painting in this episode. I will forever treasure them!

    • @1mmickk
      @1mmickk Před 2 lety +3

      Hes an amazing artist. I love the photo realism thing. So so very clever.

    • @tomherron4334
      @tomherron4334 Před 2 lety

      Jon truly is an amazing artist.

  • @irenemislej2378
    @irenemislej2378 Před 2 lety +14

    fantastic development of the story behind the picture...it is a very real detective story... thanks...
    a refreshment on a very hot summer afternoon in Slovenia.

  • @w.urlitzer1869
    @w.urlitzer1869 Před 2 lety +66

    sold 94,500 pound (GBP) (low estimate plus buyer's premium), Sotheby's 26 October 2021.

    • @Luna.3.3.3
      @Luna.3.3.3 Před rokem +12

      Thanks for the update. I'm glad the couple has a nice little nest egg now

    • @Jude74
      @Jude74 Před rokem +2

      Philip has a tendency to over estimate but that’s to be expected.

    • @skiker4560
      @skiker4560 Před rokem +4

      That is really great to know. I often wonder if the people sell or keep and how much it may have gone for. Thank you for that.

    • @zoebx1314
      @zoebx1314 Před rokem +9

      Thanks for the update but really annoying this comment came up directly under the video without clicking comments😂 … bit of a plot spoiler

    • @SheriLynNut
      @SheriLynNut Před 10 měsíci +3

      Unfortunate this comment spoiled the outcome of the show for me; perhaps being edited to have a title that would make the body of the comment not be shown as soon as one clicks on the video might be a kindness to afford a new viewer?

  • @kingy002
    @kingy002 Před 2 lety +10

    A big thank you from New Zealand. I search for these shows every couple of months. Most appreciated!

  • @darlamcfarland3323
    @darlamcfarland3323 Před 2 lety +21

    It's an interesting idea to take into consideration the flaws in an artist's early work when judging its authenticity.The expert who downgraded it was judging it against the perfection of Gerome's later work, and didn't take into account how an artist's skills evolve and improve over his lifetime.

  • @m.r.6222
    @m.r.6222 Před 8 měsíci +5

    My late father was a prolific hobby artist. He painted what he called "folk art" of Polynesia for 65 years. He was stationed in the South Pacific by the Navy, and he fell in love with it. At the end of his life, he had hundreds of books and pamphlets on the history of Tahiti, Solomon Islands, and Hawaii. He read all he could about the historical life of Polynesia to inspire his paintings. He put classic Polynesian people, in classic garb in interesting island surroundings of his imagination. He could paint the ocean better than anyone, but people, not so much. He was constantly trying to improve and always wished he had taken art classes. He knew Wayne Thiebaud in Sacramento California and was inspired by his career. I have binders of his photograph-inspired sketches from photographs. I love the investigative work the team has undertaken to track and verify this painting. Although it is not to my taste, I understand, after seeing how my father worked, that sometimes the vision a painter has may not come out the way he wanted, and it wasn't as "inspired" as they thought it could be. Gerome was truly a talented artist. I am so glad it has been verified.

    • @scoon2117
      @scoon2117 Před měsícem

      Are any of your Dads paintings online somewhere?? Would love to see them. I am obsessed with the ancient greek cynics, and gerome's painting of Diogenes always makes me feel a little closer to him.

  • @Mrmorusek
    @Mrmorusek Před 2 lety +5

    Again, many thanks from Poland !

  • @stormycape
    @stormycape Před 2 lety +14

    Absolutely a marvellous show.

  • @orionfoote2890
    @orionfoote2890 Před 2 lety +10

    I’m rapt the new shows are starting to come through now - thanks so much for uploading.
    ‘At forty two million....

  • @soniatriana9091
    @soniatriana9091 Před rokem +8

    Great investigative work & great insight by all the experts.
    Now I wonder if the museum will relook at the painting of the Eunuch guarding the door?
    Since it was labeled as not be an original. It probably is as well!!

  • @dawn5227
    @dawn5227 Před rokem +9

    It's sad how genuine artists work can be dismissed by just 1 person. I'm glad this has now been rectified. I wonder what the previous 'expert' would say now

    • @chipwalter4490
      @chipwalter4490 Před rokem +2

      He would say he didn’t have the internet fired-up to contact all these people and do all this extra digging. Then he’d probably say, hey all you living people, wait till your dead, and see what tech advances get beyond your knowledge of what you swear you know about your world…

  • @ronrossi8475
    @ronrossi8475 Před měsícem

    To see something be as it is and always will be is amazing. Being a fan of Gerome, and owning a small sketch of his, this is special to know it is a real painting from an early period. Perfect!

  • @milootje007
    @milootje007 Před 2 lety +21

    *Spoiler*
    The other "follower of" painting in The Wallace Collection is most likely real too then..

    • @GrahamCLester
      @GrahamCLester Před 2 lety +1

      Especially since the model had the same clothes on as the one in the program.

    • @ivorytower99
      @ivorytower99 Před 2 lety

      One does not need their PhD in art history, to be able to tell *true quality.*

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety

      @@ivorytower99 Somewhat true -- anyone can have a subjectve opinion that a painting is of high quality. But, if anyone wants others to respect their opinion or for what they think about attributions to have any meaning, they, at the very least, have to have seen many other paintings which are securely attributed to the same artist, have to know what to look for in the painting, and have to know what aspects of the painting should not be present. Casual observers rarely have such specialized knowledge or experience.

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety

      @@GrahamCLester No, the robes are not the same. And the are both inauthentic. The one in the Wallace Collection has been considered by the museum's staff as being of poor quality and inauthentic independent of what Dr. Ackerman determined at a much later date.

  • @dionnegonsalves8188
    @dionnegonsalves8188 Před 2 lety +6

    Totally addictive series...the chase is ON! 👍🏽🌻💯😊

  • @zahria
    @zahria Před 2 lety +5

    Thsnk you so much for uploading this episode 🌷
    So enjoyable. Many thanks from the Netherlands.

  • @MichaelandCathy1999
    @MichaelandCathy1999 Před 2 lety +3

    Hey from Montreal Canada
    This series has been a godsend during the pandemic 😷, so informative, so deep, showing the dark background of art and art dealers and galleries. Wish there were 100’s of these programs, just great. Bravo. 👍🇨🇦

  • @debbiegoodwin6316
    @debbiegoodwin6316 Před 2 lety +7

    Thanks so much for uploading this, alll the way from across the pond in Canada!

  • @daytonagreg8765
    @daytonagreg8765 Před rokem +7

    I’ve got 3 undiscovered Rembrandts, two Picasso’s, and a Da Vinci ready to be evaluated. Some sucker selling art on the street in New York just didn’t know what he had. 👍

  • @JavierBonillaC
    @JavierBonillaC Před rokem +5

    The final joke of the wife of the owner of the painting “he is saying (hands raised) thank God”, is priceless.

  • @sherrylotfy1948
    @sherrylotfy1948 Před rokem +11

    This man on his knees is not praying,he seems judging from his body language he might be looking at someone with authority and is explaining himself as though trying to be innocent, he is giving his back to the manbar

  • @justinwhite6787
    @justinwhite6787 Před 2 lety +3

    What a delight! I'm not a big Gerome fan and wasn't going to watch this one, but sure glad I did! Outstanding episode and I nearly burst into tears when the big reveal took place!

  • @dkpaletteart6005
    @dkpaletteart6005 Před 2 lety +3

    Thank sir . It’s very long time 🌻

  • @MegaDonzee
    @MegaDonzee Před rokem +3

    I love this program! I dream of finding an Albrecht Durer sketch as he is one of my faves! Wish me luck, lol!

    • @Auriflamme
      @Auriflamme Před rokem

      I can probably find you a genuine Durer in my attic, if you know what I mean. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more...

  • @BrendaAnderson
    @BrendaAnderson Před 3 měsíci +4

    I see that the owner sold the piece in Oct 2021. (for £94,500 with fees)

  • @joslynaarons6885
    @joslynaarons6885 Před rokem +4

    Feona Bruce and Philip Mould, you are both amazing. I am astonished and mesmerized by your professionalism. Your researches and investigations of provenance are exceptional and remarkable. I will say also that you both have “champagne” voices. Merci pour vos émissions. Jocelyne Mirambeau

    • @imtrex521
      @imtrex521 Před rokem

      I find them both warm and personable and really excited about what they are doing.

    • @joslynaarons6885
      @joslynaarons6885 Před rokem

      Full of great enthusiasm

  • @christophersparano2231
    @christophersparano2231 Před 2 lety +4

    Best show ever!!! Thank you!

  • @BlueCyann
    @BlueCyann Před měsícem

    I'm so happy for them! Being working artists themselves, being so familiar with the work of your artistic inspiration that you can recognize it even labelled as something else, and being right? What a wonderful story. Of all the people I've seen so far who've gotten the big "congratulations" on this show, they seem the most deserving. Hope they're enjoying the money.

  • @bscepter
    @bscepter Před rokem +5

    Gotta be honest, I thought it was going to be a fake. We have two Geromes here in Omaha at the Joslyn, and I've always loved them. Glad he was featured in this episode.

  • @Le0kardia
    @Le0kardia Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you and greeting from Germany!

  • @anissaapolinario
    @anissaapolinario Před 2 lety +1

    Thank you so much for uploading. I love this series, and am glad to find it here.

  • @charlesmnadeau
    @charlesmnadeau Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you - much appreciate the uploading.

  • @nicklizardo313
    @nicklizardo313 Před 2 lety +3

    Love this Facinating episode, it felt like a fine true mystery. I learn so much from the primary research each of you do. Happy to see new ones. Thank you both. Appreciate the new upload.

  • @jeffpetrie7744
    @jeffpetrie7744 Před 2 lety

    Fantastic episode!! Thank you!

  • @rayn8740
    @rayn8740 Před rokem +11

    I hope Eunuch at the Door gets another look.

    • @douro20
      @douro20 Před 11 měsíci +2

      It's called "The Guard of the Harem" and research on its attribution is currently in progress.

  • @randalllake2785
    @randalllake2785 Před rokem +2

    Excellent work. Thank you so very much.

  • @girlnorthof60
    @girlnorthof60 Před 2 lety +4

    yippee! 🙏 thank you so much.

  • @Earth098
    @Earth098 Před 2 lety +2

    Thanks a lot for uploading!!

  • @lesliekern7766
    @lesliekern7766 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for the uploads I love the show.

  • @luciemedici
    @luciemedici Před 2 lety +2

    Thanks from New York

  • @that_thing_I_do
    @that_thing_I_do Před rokem +9

    Peculiar. The weakest case they've ever presented and the expert sides with the owner as authentic. Strange.

  • @bethbartlett5692
    @bethbartlett5692 Před 7 měsíci +2

    I'm quite taken with John's works, and plan to look into his work further.
    ... and most pleased with the outcome of his Gerome.

  • @sylviamatthee8172
    @sylviamatthee8172 Před rokem +1

    Wonderful! Thank you!

  • @marcelahraste
    @marcelahraste Před 2 lety

    I love this show.... excellent investigation.

  • @ivorytower99
    @ivorytower99 Před 2 lety +6

    This episode, all the way from the introduction, to its final moments, is up there as one of the top-tier Fake or FORTUNE episodes!~ Truly well done.~

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety

      Actually, it is absolutely the worst show in the series. It all comes down to the "expert opinion" of someone who is now a friend of the owner and who gives absolutely no evidence above what was known to the far more experienced and much more respected Gerald Ackerman. These new Gerome experts haven't come close to filling Ackerman's shoes - in terms of relevant scholarship they are definitely not up to snuff.

    • @ivorytower99
      @ivorytower99 Před 2 lety

      @@WHhunt4 Sure. You have the right to your own opinion.

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety +1

      ​@@ivorytower99 Yes, everyone can have opinions. The problem with yours is that you do not provide anything at all to support your bald conclusions, either about the attribution to Gerome or Fake or Fortune's success in proving an attribution which they clearly wished to make, regardless of the strength of the evidence they found. Of course, I provided detailed facts and reasons to support my own opinions, which you did not bother to refute in any way. Your assertions are about as meaningful as a five year old's opinions about the literary and artistic merits of a cartoon he likes.

    • @ivorytower99
      @ivorytower99 Před 2 lety

      @@WHhunt4 Sure. This is why I've been headhunted to write for various A&E publications throughout New England.
      Now, would you please get off my coattails and kindly *fuck off!*

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety +1

      ​@@ivorytower99 My, my; aren't you impressive. Just because some foolish people may have sought out your services for something, that doesn't mean that anyone should care what you think on any issues here. I've contributed for decades on questions of authenticity of paintings for all the major auction houses of Britain. But with your stellar qualifications on whatever subject, surely you know best. I leave you and your silly coattails with pleasure, lightweight.

  • @michaeljohnangel6359
    @michaeljohnangel6359 Před rokem +5

    I am often shocked by how many mistakes "experts" make when it comes to 19th-century Academy paintings. The Orientalist painters painted fantasy paintings-they were not documentary journalists!! Also, you must remember that Gérôme, like hundreds of other Academy painters of the time, used photographs that they had taken themselves (or had an assistant take them) for reference while painting. Gérôme, or whoever painted this painting, could easily have gotten his architectural photo reference switched around.
    Gerald Ackerman's great book was widely available in English, but went out of print. Several of our instructors at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence (including me) have a copy in English. When it became available only in French, Gerry offered to send a pdf translation to whoever bought it. I knew him when he was in Florence, studying how to draw and paint Realism, and we corresponded.
    I also shake my head at the adoration the Art World shows to celebrities, as opposed to the paintings themselves. If a painting is shown to be by Bouguereau, for example, it is worth millions of euros; however, if it turns out to be by Elizabeth Gardner, it is worth only a few thousand. IT'S THE SAME PAINTING, for God's sake!!!! The Art World has very little to do with art.
    All that stated, I am glad that you are making the world aware of these great painters again. Thanks!!

    • @chipwalter4490
      @chipwalter4490 Před rokem

      Paintings are images read by people. Saying “the Art World has very little to do with Art” is a cop-out. Internal emotional symbology has to do with how the human mind assigns value to what it is observing. This includes repetition of images, juxtaposition of narratives, and a further ability to explore context. All of these things exist off of a canvas and in the mental space of the observer. As someone who can enjoy a Rembrandt as much as a Warhol, I suggest you stop making naive and self congratulatory statements where sweeping generalizations about the Art world are concerned. Yes we get that money perverts aesthetics, but please stop the histrionics.

  • @1mmickk
    @1mmickk Před 2 lety +2

    A great whodunnit mystery, very well told. So happy for the owner.

  • @dmoreno2823
    @dmoreno2823 Před 2 lety +3

    thanks from Ecuador :)

  • @randalllake2785
    @randalllake2785 Před rokem

    Excellent wk!t thank you .

  • @dnbarlotta
    @dnbarlotta Před rokem +9

    First, thank you for this great series. I think the reason Gerome painted the man with his back towards (I'll call it the altar piece) because if he didn't, he would have had to paint the back of the man. If he spun the painting around, he would have lost the details in the altar, and I think he was as much or more interested in painting the geometric shapes we see in the background (the 'alter piece') as he was in painting the man.

    • @Trixtah
      @Trixtah Před rokem +3

      That's not the "altar piece", that's the bottom of the stairs of the mimbar, like the pulpit, and the imam delivers the Friday sermon from the top. I'm pretty sure in Christian churches you're not facing away from the pulpit when you're praying either. The holy place in the mosque is the niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, the mirab, and this guy's feet are basically pointed at that. He could have had the man facing in the right direction with the column at his right shoulder and still had all those details with a POV in the opposite direction.

    • @Auriflamme
      @Auriflamme Před rokem +4

      He painted it like that because he was using a photograph as his background and the model in his studio essentially superimposed on it. He was less interested in recording an accurate depiction than he was in the exoticism of the scene and the compositional harmony of the work.

  • @sasantinordewati111
    @sasantinordewati111 Před 2 lety +3

    Thank you ❤️

  • @derekjohnson77
    @derekjohnson77 Před 2 lety +2

    Really enjoyed that.

  • @TheJoya1234
    @TheJoya1234 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you!

  • @andy29wewe
    @andy29wewe Před 2 lety

    Thank you 🙏 more more more

  • @chrispark8713
    @chrispark8713 Před 2 lety +2

    I have a gerome print , pygmalion and galatea , it is a painting that has fascinated me for ages , all the different things happening , as his love brings her to life , it is architecureally accurate , the feel of her body and his caress , is just so real , why has this work of his never been fully realised , is it the work that denied him being accepted as a top artist , why is it never talked about or mentioned . I am fascinated by this man , eveidently so brilliant , but looked over , as an inspiring joyous painter.

  • @aeginamonroe
    @aeginamonroe Před 7 měsíci +2

    So happy for them.

  • @RoseCarroll-pk6mt
    @RoseCarroll-pk6mt Před 8 měsíci +1

    Thank you ❤😂

  • @emiriebois2428
    @emiriebois2428 Před 2 lety

    Thank you from Montréal , Canada

  • @bruh_hahaha
    @bruh_hahaha Před 2 lety +5

    So the other companion “fake” that is in the museum should also be re-assessed as well!

    • @TheKansen
      @TheKansen Před 2 lety +1

      Not so fast. You first wait for this painting to get sold and re-establish itself as authentic. Then you refer to Prof Ackerman's work. You highlight the fact that he said all 3 done by same person, but you conveniently ignore that he called all 3 fake. Prof Ackerman cannot defend himself being dead and you have a new "expert" who says they are authentic. So you combine useful bits from these 2 contrasting opinions to declare that 2 art experts agree that all 3 are done by Jerome.

    • @debbiew.7716
      @debbiew.7716 Před 2 lety

      @@TheKansen New technology changes many things, like how we do brain surgery. Thank goodness!

  • @simplesimon3283
    @simplesimon3283 Před 2 lety +1

    sold for $$ in October 2021 thank you very much!

  • @CallieMasters5000
    @CallieMasters5000 Před rokem

    Thank God!... and Fake or Fortune!

  • @nomebear
    @nomebear Před rokem +3

    Technology revealing what could not be seen before, and the ability to send exact digital images back and forth across the planet for perusal by expert eyes I find to be truly astounding leading to the question: What's next?

  • @junyima5574
    @junyima5574 Před 2 lety

    Thank you so much ! Love this episode ~

  • @pjlewisful
    @pjlewisful Před rokem

    so very interesting!

  • @davidmorris6254
    @davidmorris6254 Před rokem +7

    I feel like Phillip brings that flashlight to the bedroom too and wax poetic there as well

  • @ivorytower99
    @ivorytower99 Před 2 lety +4

    One does not need their PhD in art history, to be able to tell *true quality.*
    It Is not simply the one piece that is being investigated; but how the show was put together. Big thanks to Guy Arthur!~

  • @bethbartlett5692
    @bethbartlett5692 Před rokem +2

    John is an exceptional artist in his own right. It is an exceptional painting and story. *(So surprised regarding the points she interpretes as incorrect regarding the religion), they very well may be intentional,* as the artist very *likely* is making a statement, telling a story, about the man in the painting, or the religion, the era. *I'm really amazed that this is not mentioned.*
    Artists overwhelmingly do this.
    Excellent work by these Art Professionals.

  • @tothelighthouse9843
    @tothelighthouse9843 Před 2 lety +7

    This episode left me with a lot of unanswered questions, especially regarding the odd backstory from the owner. It stretches credulity to accept that the owner was a close acquaintance of Gerald Ackerman, the foremost authority on Gerome, but didn't consult with his expert friend before making this purchase in 1999.
    This buyer says he only found out after his purchase that it was his close acquaintance Ackerman who had downgraded the painting to "circle of". But again, that's hard to believe: if the buyer was himself such an expert on Gerome, he would have known that Ackerman had already produced a 1986 catalogue raisonne which identified this painting as "circle of". In fact wouldn't that have been the very catalogue the buyer would have consulted before buying the painting in 1999? When the buyer listed the painting with Sotheby's for auction last year, the description actually says that "from the 1980s it had been deemed a collaborative work by the late Gerald Ackerman".
    The buyer in this video sold the painting in Oct 2021 at Sotheby's for $130,000.

    • @joes9954
      @joes9954 Před 2 lety +7

      That catalog wasn't published until AFTER the sale, hence its inclusion in it. Also the fact Ackerman was out of the country and the internet was not what we have today left John with essentially his gut and the roll of the dice otherwise the chance would slip away. Ackerman's letter stating the painting was on wood when it was on canvas leaves open a possibility he never saw it in person as that is a difficult bit of information to get wrong. It makes one wonder if Ackerman erred not only on this painting, but the other one of the Eunuch guarding the door.

  • @nd2329
    @nd2329 Před 2 lety +7

    I saw the painting for 5 seconds and was completely sure that it will turn out to be authentic. Everything looked like a perfect Gerome. I think the one from The Wallace Collection should also be right. Would love to know what the first expert didn't liked.

    • @NyanyiC
      @NyanyiC Před 2 lety +3

      No spoilers please

    • @nd2329
      @nd2329 Před 2 lety +3

      @@NyanyiC Then don't read the comments before you have watched the video!

    • @kingy002
      @kingy002 Před 2 lety +1

      @@nd2329 Yes they do!

    • @leaflee2066
      @leaflee2066 Před 2 lety

      I saw your comment and within 5 seconds thought you were a pompous boaster.

  • @Vigula
    @Vigula Před rokem +9

    I've just passed 38:08 and SO let me get this right. They have info that the mosque is probably Turkish. They have info that the picture could in fact be titled Turk at prayer, yet when Fiona gets info that Gerome went from Constantinople to Cairo, she talks about whether Gerome visited a mosque in Cairo rather than Constantinople. Which is in Turkey. Er.....???

    • @JavierBonillaC
      @JavierBonillaC Před rokem

      Thank you.

    • @m_lies
      @m_lies Před rokem +2

      But still in the end the exect mosque was in Cairo, so nothing wrong?

    • @Vigula
      @Vigula Před rokem

      @@m_lies Indeed - I presume they discovered the mosque and then weaved the plot line for TV - all's well that ends well :)

  • @henningfineart1967
    @henningfineart1967 Před 2 lety +1

    Absolutely phenomenal!! Well done Phillip, Fiona and team!

  • @catheriam1945
    @catheriam1945 Před 2 lety +2

    Took one look from my home in Midwestern Missouri and said, "he's a Turk, not an Arab". And, the last time I was in Egypt, one's shoes came off at the entrance to the mosque and these rather unsightly but religiously-necessary slippers were placed on one's (infidel) feet. Not inside, outside. And a perplexing issue which is not addressed is Ackerman's assessment of the painting as being on w o o d and Philip raises his eyes to the camera: "It's on cavas". This contradiction -- an "biggie" in my mind, at least -- is unaddressed. Lastly, how is it that the essence of the gentleman's moment of ectasy is captured ...with his back to the pulpit and facing west? Spirit in any religion can flood one's being anywhere, but the knowledgable conservator in the London mosque was spot on. In closing: I want Philip's house! Peace out!

    • @CallieMasters5000
      @CallieMasters5000 Před 2 lety

      I thought that the canvass vs. wood issue was kind of odd. They didn't go into any details about the examination of the back of the painting in this episode, which often yields lots of details from old labels and construction issues. Makes you wonder if Ackerman ever saw the painting in person or just in photographs.

  • @elizabethannegrey6285
    @elizabethannegrey6285 Před rokem +1

    Ah, the Wallace Collection. My
    lunch time haunt fifty years ago.

  • @falkhammermuller9342
    @falkhammermuller9342 Před rokem +3

    As soon as I saw the picture; I said "That's a turkish sword".

  • @carlanthonyholmes2162
    @carlanthonyholmes2162 Před 2 lety +23

    Friend is the number 1 expert on the artist. Downgrades it and goes conveniently away. This guy buys it cheap. Keeps it for some years and knows that it will sell for 20 times the purchase price. Waits until his pal passes first. All looks a bit dodgy to me.

    • @russellscott1064
      @russellscott1064 Před 2 lety +5

      First thing I thought when I heard about his friend downgrading it. That's when I knew it would be real. Having said that, it's not a very good composition.

    • @PaulN200
      @PaulN200 Před rokem +2

      I totally agree, I was going to post the same comment as this. Within the first 5 mins my suspicious mind smelled a rat. I'm sure the Fake or Fortune team saw it too

    • @bethbartlett5692
      @bethbartlett5692 Před rokem +3

      He wasn't aware of the downgrade by his friend. He had studied the artist for years, where's the "suspicion from", he isn't giving off any negative character energies.
      Why the Judgemental accusations, (I'm trying to understand, not judge)

  • @peko7446
    @peko7446 Před 2 lety +1

    That's a relief.

    • @anjrulaw4986
      @anjrulaw4986 Před 2 lety

      That picture had all the characteristics of GEROME

  • @wrathika
    @wrathika Před 2 lety +8

    I miss Bendor tho

    • @and__lam1152
      @and__lam1152 Před 2 lety +3

      He has his own show. Lost Masterpieces of Britain where he is doing the same thing with paintings in museums and such. 5 series worth of shows to catch up on for the uninitiated. Bless "The Art World"

    • @wrathika
      @wrathika Před 2 lety

      @@and__lam1152 oh my! Thanks for the info, I'm guessing it's not on CZcams, but is it available on BBC iPlayer?

    • @and__lam1152
      @and__lam1152 Před 2 lety

      @@wrathika A bit on CZcams. Never heard of BBCiplayer I'll try that. Cheers

    • @and__lam1152
      @and__lam1152 Před 2 lety +1

      @@wrathika Actually called Britains lost masterpieces

    • @persebra
      @persebra Před 2 lety

      @@and__lam1152 Good, the more of these types of shows, the better. although the 2 hosts on this show have great chemistry.

  • @terrycrain7271
    @terrycrain7271 Před rokem +2

    i really enjoyed this show. I'm a big admirer of Gerome.
    What occurs to me though, is that there are many factors presented which encourage the possibility of it being genuine, but it remains a very subjective judgement on which it all seems to rest. Still, a very enjoyable series. I wonder if it was named a A Turk at Prayer, how the provenance would have evolved.

    • @chipwalter4490
      @chipwalter4490 Před rokem

      That’s a white fella in the painting anyway. So they brought in whites all over the Muslim world (just like the eunuch is black)…
      The title is generic, the FACT: the mosque depicted is in Cairo (Arab country)

  • @alexsilva-vn7jc
    @alexsilva-vn7jc Před rokem +3

    My jaw descended slightly at the gorgeousness of Coupil at 32:02. Off topic and beside the the point, I know.

    • @JavierBonillaC
      @JavierBonillaC Před rokem +1

      Hahahahaha….. great comment. I said that about a woman in another CZcams video and all hell descended on me, but I’m a man.

    • @alexsilva-vn7jc
      @alexsilva-vn7jc Před rokem

      @@JavierBonillaC Thank you! I know, it´s rough out there! The "rules" are like a club sandwich of double standards.

  • @kiwilerner
    @kiwilerner Před rokem +4

    So enlightening and intriguing to see a work with so many potential "idiosyncrasies" as Philip called them, that seemed to go against Gerome--yet they were simply evidence that even a master had a skill learning curve. But I *really* wish that Philip, when talking to the Gerome expert in Amherst, had focused on the rather serious inaccuracies regarding the religious aspect and asked what (to me) seems a vital question: Were such inaccuracies found in any of Gerome's other works? (The shoes laid out near the carpet in that procession work do appear like another example, but I'm not sure.) Confirming whether Gerome did take such liberties elsewhere would help rebut the woman who insisted these rather glaring mistakes were proof this wasn't Gerome but a poor imitation.

    • @beebeemacic6669
      @beebeemacic6669 Před rokem

      That's what I thought as well. I agree with you at all

  • @LeahC208
    @LeahC208 Před rokem

    Amazing

  • @mylesgarcia4625
    @mylesgarcia4625 Před 2 lety +1

    Congratulations, Fiona and Philip. Another great, fulfilling, effervescent, illuminating episode. You two seem to get better at it each time. This canvas and your work around it, reminds me very much of the St. Amalie painting -- both figures kneeling at prayer; and both central figures robed in gold and cloaked by something else. What that on purpose??
    If someone were to ask me what to put in a time capsule of items representative of our time, I would not hesitate to include a few of your FAKE OR FORTUNE episodes!
    Finally, for whomever put together the corollary visuals for this episode, I would like to know what is that beautiful "HAREM" painting at the 15:40 mark?
    Félicitations encore pour un travail bien fait. Merci beaucoup.

  • @NickPenlee
    @NickPenlee Před rokem +6

    There was just too much evidence that it was, indeed, a genuine Gerome and I suspect that the 'eunuch' painting was also by the artist.
    So much for 'professor' Ackerman's appraisal. Perhaps he should be referred to as Knackerman. His claims that the painting was "weak" et al was damned nonsense as it is extraordinarily well painted, possessing all the hallmarks of the great man. Perhaps it was Ackerman's knowledge that was "weak" and better suited to the reckless appraisals from the Wildenstein Institute; an infamous collection of so-called experts!

    • @gurucarcar
      @gurucarcar Před rokem

      I wonder if that sketch and the Enoch painting got the gold star too.

  • @jameswebb4593
    @jameswebb4593 Před 8 měsíci +1

    At the risk of presenting myself as a Philistine . I believe that Art is an interpretation of a subject not a substitute for a photograph. I consider good art as something that i would be happy to have on my wall . Which narrows the field considerably.

    • @bethbartlett5692
      @bethbartlett5692 Před 7 měsíci

      Your description is logical and from my perspective, accurate.

  • @thisthat283
    @thisthat283 Před rokem +7

    Problem with all these "experts" none of them seem to know what they're talking about.

  • @allensaunders449
    @allensaunders449 Před rokem +5

    Another case where one person or one group had to much power to decide real or fake. Years this painting was considered original.one man gets to decide otherwise. Right or wrong

    • @bethbartlett5692
      @bethbartlett5692 Před 7 měsíci

      That power is seriously "powerful" in terms of $$$$$$.00 and can be quite an Ego switch

  • @walterulasinksi7031
    @walterulasinksi7031 Před rokem

    One of the main things regarding any painting is despite the arguments of cultural accuracy is artistic license. In this case, decoration of the mimba, is more indicative of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Such would then give the impression of an “ Arab at Prayer. “

  • @ivanolsen7966
    @ivanolsen7966 Před rokem +2

    " a thick neck ' ... the moment I saw it ... i thought the head was to small ... ... people do come in all different shapes and sizes

  • @greensage395
    @greensage395 Před 8 měsíci +3

    I noticed the Critic also misspelled Eunuch as Eunach...unless that is normal, I don't think it is.

  • @asherelias9571
    @asherelias9571 Před 2 lety +23

    There are a lot of comments discussing if the attribution was good or not but there's another more sinister angle that is fun to at least ruminate over. The owner of the painting bought it for 6000 dollars, a rather hefty sum for a "school of" piece. However the person who downgraded this painting that had long been considered a Gerome was also a friend of the buyer who was mysteriously "out of town" when the auction was held. We are told they never discussed it again and it was a sore issue between them but could it have been something more than that? Dr. Ackerman downgrades this painting and then it is bought by his good friend for a pittance compared to the cost of an original. After Dr. Ackerman's death when it will no longer reflect his professional reputation it is then again found to be a genuine and later sold for an incredibly higher amount than when purchased. What if this was all set up by the two, Dr. Ackerman wishing to help his friend and secure him some income in his later years while not sullying his own reputation in life? It's all speculative I know but it's fun to think about.

    • @PS-vm3we
      @PS-vm3we Před 2 lety +5

      That's a very interesting thought!

    • @debbiew.7716
      @debbiew.7716 Před 2 lety +5

      Oh and he predicted the technology to prove it 20 years on? I highly doubt it.

    • @darlamcfarland3323
      @darlamcfarland3323 Před 2 lety +2

      Would make an interesting screenplay.

    • @BADBOIOFBOSTON
      @BADBOIOFBOSTON Před 2 lety +4

      My thoughts are similar, but I'm still at odds as to why he wouldn't tell his friend, the expert in JLG, that he was going to buy this painting? He would have talked him out of it and informed him he himself downgraded it. Then they don't don't speak for awhile. Lots more unanswered questions.

    • @dainne_
      @dainne_ Před 2 lety +5

      Interesting theory. My issue with it is that if what you're saying was true, it would be a huge gamble. When Ackerman, a big authority on Gerome, downgraded it and even wrote that very harsh reasoning, there was an incredibly high chance of it never being attributed to Gerome again. What seems more likely to me (pure speculation of course) is that there was no intent to make money from such plan, at least from Ackerman's side. Ackerman simply knew how expensive real Germome works were and he might have wanted to help a friend to get it cheap (either as a favour or for a small "fee"). Let's not forget that the owner was a big admirer of the artist and just owning the painting even if no one else knew it was an original would probably make him happy.

  • @benediktmorak4409
    @benediktmorak4409 Před rokem +1

    Fiona Bruce shows respect and understanding of different cultures.When covering her hair while going to the Mosque and meeting with an - oriental expert-. ( sorry -cc- can translate only Doris.and the rest of the ladies name is also for me not understandable-audible.) CHAPEAU and HAT OFF!!

    • @chevalvivant
      @chevalvivant Před rokem +1

      She interrupts and speaks over Doris numerous times, I feel that is disrespectful and dismissive

    • @benediktmorak4409
      @benediktmorak4409 Před rokem +1

      @@chevalvivant maybe one should also have seen the original and uncut version of the interview. and then the work the cutter has to do to make it in the time allotted for that?

    • @Jude74
      @Jude74 Před rokem +2

      Actually they clearly demonstrated the pictures came from the artist’s imagination. He got the building from Cairo but the clothing and rugs belonged to him and he got them from Turkey which is considerably easier to get goods from at that point based on geography alone. I thought that was pretty clear. He was a broke artist schlepping a rug etc… back from Cairo is not likely. And by the way, if you watch the entire show, it’s confirmed that the mosque is in Cairo, but that the clothing came from the artist who took pictures of his friends wearing Turkish clothing. So… the moral of the story is pay attention and watch the entire show. And really pay attention. Don’t stop paying attention after you see something that you question. Because you might get the answer by the end of the show.

  • @ginacrusco234
    @ginacrusco234 Před 2 lety +6

    Ok wait a second...they only assumed that the present work is identical with "Turk at prayer" in establishing provenance. And the work downgraded in the catalogue was on wood, not canvas. A couple of yawning gaps. PS What happened to Bendor?

    • @zanderary
      @zanderary Před 2 lety +1

      Yes, what DID happen to Bendor?

    • @MissLola555
      @MissLola555 Před 2 lety +1

      I have been missing Bendor too! #whereisBendor

  • @junsantos1938
    @junsantos1938 Před rokem +3

    They should have done pigment analysis

  • @WilldoAldone
    @WilldoAldone Před rokem +9

    Could this mean that the eunuch is real too? Since they were though to be from the same forgery.

    • @devonbrook
      @devonbrook Před rokem

      Ohhh, that's an interesting point to bring up! I hope this line of thought is investigated one day, since the work is already with a museum/gallery that wouldn't be too incentivized to try and reclassify it.

    • @Trixtah
      @Trixtah Před rokem +4

      They're definitely hinting at that towards the end.

    • @stephenarbon2227
      @stephenarbon2227 Před rokem +2

      @@Trixtah and also the sketch

  • @Schlei602
    @Schlei602 Před rokem

    It's allways a pleasure to have a look inside Philip's gallery. It's an invironment of taste and style as well as atmosphere for the high value artworks as well as people involved in this setting.

    • @MossyMozart
      @MossyMozart Před rokem

      @Nordlys - The interior of the gallery is also a restful Environment.

  • @w.urlitzer1869
    @w.urlitzer1869 Před 5 měsíci +4

    21:20 so that expert is wrong about the location of the minbar not being cairo

    • @aaronsakulich4889
      @aaronsakulich4889 Před 3 měsíci +2

      Yes and no... the minbar is in Cairo (she was wrong), but it's one of the very few minbars in Cairo that are made in a style much more commonly found in Ottoman Turkey (she was right that the Minbar is an ottoman-style minbar)

  • @Robhalifax
    @Robhalifax Před 7 měsíci +1

    I noticed the thick neck the first time I saw it. I have a friend who is a skinny guy who works out and lifts weights etc. He ended up with a neck like that.

  • @michaeljohnangel6359
    @michaeljohnangel6359 Před rokem +2

    Well done, guys! I love happy endings. If any of your experts took a few years to learn how to paint realistically, the conclusion would have been reached quicker. I was delighted that my points below were finally ratified. I was surprised that no mention was made of a size comparison between the Yorkshire drawing and the painting. Are they the same size? Is the drawing the cartoon for the painting? The majority of Academic painters of Gérôme's generation used cartoons to transfer their outlines (figural and architectural).

  • @martywild6359
    @martywild6359 Před 2 lety +2

    How many other works of art have been called fake by so-called experts?

    • @WHhunt4
      @WHhunt4 Před 2 lety

      It has occurred all the time over hundreds of years. And who would you prefer to call out fakes instead of those most knowledgable about the work of each artist?