Giorgione attribution scandal at TEFAF Maastricht 2018

At TEFAF Maastricht 2018 (March 10–18), a painting presented as a self-portrait by Giorgione was revealed to be a forgery. The work, previously attributed to the Venetian Renaissance master, was actually painted by Antonio Canova, the Neoclassical sculptor, as a deliberate pastiche. The discovery was made by art historian and restorer Antonio Mazzotta, who identified stylistic inconsistencies and technical anomalies. The painting had been offered for sale by a private dealer with a high asking price, but the revelation led to its immediate withdrawal from the fair. The incident raised questions about due diligence in the Old Master market and the effectiveness of TEFAF's vetting procedures. TEFAF, one of the world's leading art fairs, requires all works to pass a rigorous authentication process, but this case exposed vulnerabilities. The forgery was described as a 'very clever' imitation that fooled several experts initially. The story was widely covered in the art press, highlighting ongoing challenges in provenance research and attribution.