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While it's common to hear about renowned artworks discovered as forgeries—with some estimates suggesting up to 20% of museum pieces may be inauthentic—there are also fascinating cases where pieces once dismissed as replicas were later confirmed as genuine.
Below are ten notable instances where artworks initially believed to be fakes were ultimately proven authentic.
10. Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait
Rembrandt, often hailed as a pioneer of self-portraits, created nearly 100 such works during his lifetime. A self-portrait held by the National Trust in the UK, long assumed to be a copy, was recently authenticated as an original. Previously stored away, the painting garnered attention when Rembrandt specialist Ernst van de Wetering examined it in 2013 and confirmed its authenticity.
Following extensive testing, analysis, and restoration, specialists at the prestigious Hamilton Kerr Institute concluded that the artwork was genuinely crafted by the Dutch master. By removing layers of yellowed varnish, they uncovered the original hues and intricate details consistent with Rembrandt’s distinctive style. Further examination verified that the signature was contemporaneous with the painting, resolving previous uncertainties.
9. Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Young Woman
A second Rembrandt was authenticated during conservation efforts. The Allentown Art Museum in Pennsylvania acquired the Portrait of a Young Woman in 1961 as part of a bequest. Initially attributed to Rembrandt, it was later dismissed in the 1970s as a copy, allegedly created by one of his pupils. However, recent restoration work revealed that the painting is indeed an authentic Rembrandt.
In 2018, the artwork underwent conservation and cleaning at NYU. The removal of a thick varnish layer exposed the original, refined brushstrokes and colors characteristic of Rembrandt’s technique. Advanced imaging and X-ray technology confirmed its authenticity, with external experts concurring that the painting is a genuine Rembrandt.
8. Van Gogh’s Sunset at Montmajour
For almost a century, a Van Gogh painting lay forgotten in an attic. Acquired by a Norwegian art enthusiast in the early 1900s, it was stashed away after being declared a forgery. Decades later, the owners sought the Van Gogh Museum’s expertise in 1991, only to be told it was inauthentic. However, advancements in technology led the museum to reassess its stance in 2013, ultimately confirming the painting’s legitimacy.
Specialists identified matching pigments and canvas types with other Van Gogh works from the same era. The canvas’s numbering aligned with an inventory of Van Gogh’s creations. Additionally, Vincent Van Gogh had referenced this specific painting in a letter to his brother, Theo. Combined, this evidence conclusively proved that Sunset at Montmajour is an authentic Van Gogh, painted in 1888 during his time in Arles, France—the same period that produced masterpieces like Sunflowers.
7. Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pomegranate
In 2019, English Heritage experts authenticated a painting previously believed to be a replica of Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pomegranate. The circular artwork depicts Mary cradling baby Jesus and a pomegranate, encircled by angels. It is a smaller rendition of Botticelli’s renowned Madonna of the Pomegranate displayed at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.
Conservators employed various methods to verify the painting’s authenticity, such as removing layers of varnish and grime, conducting X-rays, and performing infrared analysis. They also confirmed the artwork’s period-appropriate materials and style. After consulting with specialists from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery, it was determined that the piece originated from Botticelli’s Florence workshop.
While it remains uncertain whether Botticelli personally painted the artwork, it is known that he employed numerous assistants to meet the high demand for his creations during his lifetime.
6. Monet’s A Haystack in the Evening Sun
Researchers at a Finnish university utilized advanced technology to authenticate a Monet painting. A Haystack in the Evening Sun, owned by Finland’s Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation for over six decades, was long suspected to be a Monet but lacked definitive proof due to the absence of a signature—until modern technology provided the answers.
Using specialized equipment, the university team analyzed the painting’s elemental composition and discovered Monet’s signature and the date, 1891, concealed beneath layers of paint. The reason for Monet painting over his signature remains a mystery. However, its presence confirms the artwork’s authenticity, linking it to Monet’s renowned “Haystack” series and marking it as the first Monet in a Finnish public collection.
5. Rubens’s Portrait of a Young Girl, possibly Clara Serena Rubens
In 2013, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York auctioned off Portrait of a Young Girl, possibly Clara Serena Rubens, to fund new acquisitions. Initially attributed to a follower of Rubens rather than the Flemish master himself, the museum’s assessment may have been incorrect.
Several leading Rubens experts have since authenticated the painting as a genuine Rubens. Among them is the director of the Rubenshuis, a museum in Antwerp dedicated to Rubens and his peers, which now features the artwork in a special exhibition.
Despite this, some experts, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and David Jaffe, a Rubens scholar and former National Gallery curator, remain unconvinced of its authenticity.
4. Raphael’s Young Woman
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
For over four decades, Raphael’s Young Woman was stored in the basement of an Italian palace, dismissed as the work of an anonymous artist from after Raphael’s time and deemed nearly valueless. In 2010, art historian Mario Scalini, while cataloging the palace’s vast art collection, discovered the painting housed in an intricately designed frame.
Upon closer examination, Scalini theorized the painting might be an original Raphael. He sent it to a research institute in Pisa, where specialists used infrared and ultraviolet imaging to analyze the layers of paint. Their findings confirmed the artwork as an authentic Raphael.
3. Rodin’s Bust of Napoleon
A bust of Napoleon had been overlooked for years in a New Jersey borough council meeting room. In 2014, Mallory Mortillaro, an art history student hired to archive the council’s art collection, identified the sculpture as the work of the famed French artist Auguste Rodin.
Mortillaro spotted a faint signature on the bust but struggled to verify its authenticity. She reached out to the Comité Auguste Rodin in Paris, an authority on Rodin’s works, for confirmation.
Jerome Le Blay, the committee’s head and a Rodin specialist, traveled to New Jersey to inspect the bust and confirmed its authenticity. A photograph of Rodin with the bust was discovered, though the sculpture itself had been missing for years—only to be found in a New Jersey council room.
2. Three of Turner’s Works
Philip Mould and the BBC’s Fake or Fortune? program played a key role in authenticating three paintings by the renowned British landscape artist JMW Turner: The Beacon Light, Off Margate, and Margate Jetty.
In 1951, Gwendoline and Margaret Davies bequeathed several Turner paintings to the National Museum Wales. However, these three works were later deemed forgeries and removed from public display.
The paintings underwent multiple reevaluations in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, each time dismissed as inauthentic. However, a fresh investigation by the BBC show, leveraging modern technological advancements, reversed this verdict. Experts concluded the works were genuine Turners, supported by detailed provenance research and consultations with Turner specialists.
1. Constable’s Early The Hay Wain
Art specialist Philip Mould long believed that an early version of The Hay Wain in his possession was an authentic John Constable. Unable to confirm this, he sold the painting in 2000 for £35,000.
In 2017, Mould co-hosted the BBC’s Fake or Fortune? program, where experts in Los Angeles analyzed the painting. Using cutting-edge technology, they confirmed it as a genuine Constable, created around the same period as his iconic The Hay Wain. The painting depicted Willy Lott’s cottage from a different perspective, and its provenance was traced back to a sale by Constable’s son.
Though Mould missed a significant financial gain, he expressed satisfaction in having his long-held belief validated.
