how to approach authentication
Just to have a look at a painting and enjoying its beauty is simple. Questions about the authenticity are of no value to enjoy what you can see. They are rather a distraction.
But the question of authenticity becomes a serious and important one, as soon we start to consider collecting and spending money on artworks.
It is especially difficult to find out whether a work is really done by the hand of the painter whose name is attached to it in Far Eastern painting. A wide range of forgeries, imitations and false attributions forms a big, not at least financial risk for the connoisseur and collector.
A problem which cant be solved. The interested party has to live with the situation and only a long process of collecting the knowledge of technical qualities, the historical and intellectual background and the experience of a great number of references can form a ground on which a footing could be established – slowly and painstakingly, to even reach finally the point to ask the question of authenticity seriously. Who is not willing to go this way himself, will be forced out to trust others and this not only with the same risk, but also for a much greater price.
Looking in to the matter of authentication we will start by introducing a few basic categories which guide us to understand the quality of the painting and allow to consider any attribution to a masters name.
We will then try to establish what value such categories should have.
There are important differences between Japanese and Chinese paintings, between old and modern works and so on, and we will try to include these differences in our consideration too. In the end we expect to give not more than a little hope for the reader that beside all the limitations it is possible to achieve some understanding. An understanding which may allow a more comfortable stand in front of a displayed painting.