Brooklyn Museum Coptic Fakes to be Displayed

The New York Sun announced that the Brooklyn Museum will sponsor an exhibit of fakes of its Coptic sculpture collection during 2009. Coptic is the name for Egyptians of the Christian faith and their Church formed in the first century AD. It is also the name for the last form of the ancient Egyptian language, which was written with mostly Greek letters. The Coptic language survives only as a liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Appraisers and serious collectors have known for years that many of these early antiquities are not as represented or early as originally thought. It appears the list of fakes and misrepresentations continues to grow. Instead of hiding fakes, museums are now starting to leverage them to promote collections, interest the public and educate collectors. A few years ago the Chipstone Foundation exhibited a large group of fake and misrepresented furniture at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The group of fakes was also documented in 2002 edition of American Furniture. The Brooklyn Museums Chief Curator, Kevin Strayton states in the NY Sun article "The idea of connoisseurship" — how scholars examine a work of art in order to determine its authenticity and proper attribution — "has a lot of general appeal," Once open, this should be a very interesting exhibit to view and attend. An excerpt from the New York Sun article. While most major museums have some fakes in their collections, few like to advertise the fact. But in an unusual move, the Brooklyn Museum is planning an exhibition for 2009 that will call attention to a group of forgeries among its collection of Coptic sculptures. A third of the museum's collection of Coptic sculptures were actually made in the mid-20th century, the museum's curator of Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art, Edna Russmann, recently told the Art Newspaper. Coptic art refers to Egyptian art dating from the Late Antique period, between roughly the fifth and the mid-seventh centuries C.E. The art is called "Coptic" because art historians long believed it to have been made by early Christians. Although scholars have known about the fakes in the Brooklyn Museum's collection for decades, the exhibition, which opens in February, will be the first time that the museum has shared its view with the public. The pieces in question were acquired between the late 1950s and the early 1970s. To read the full article click HERE.