Life — October 11, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "How to Detect Frauds in Your Masterpieces" This page presents satirical illustrations about art forgery detection. The top image shows a classical statue of Saint George; the accompanying text advises examining such works closely, as counterfeit shoes might indicate forgery. The cherub illustration warns that forged Renaissance-style angels contain obvious mistakes visible to careful observers. A lower image depicts someone hunched over a typewriter (labeled as "Surely a Dürer, they will say"), satirizing how forgers might use anachronistic tools—a typewriter wouldn't exist in Dürer's era (15th-16th century)—yet might still deceive casual buyers. The "Velasquez" portrait shows a child with a doll, revealed as a 1900 American forgery after seventeen years of exhibition. The satire targets wealthy collectors' gullibility regarding artwork authenticity.