Fake Buckle?

Who do these people think they are trying to fool? haha This is an interesting story that I found on a website called The Art Newspaper. This story is pretty interesting. Sotheby’s has withdrawn an important “13th century” belt buckle from its 2 December old master sculpture and works of art sale after questions were raised by The Art Newspaper. The intricately-designed silver and enamel buckle had recently been owned by Paul Ruddock, now chairman of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum. The buckle surfaced in the collection of Dacre Kenrick Edwards, whose estate was sold at Christie’s in 1961. It then passed to distinguished New York collector Germain Seligman, who lent it for an exhibition at The Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum, New York) in 1968. The buckle was offered at Sotheby’s in 1995 (estimate £15,000-£20,000), but went unsold. It passed through two specialist dealers in New York and in 2004 was sold to an English collector via the London dealer Sam Fogg.

In May 2005 the buckle was presented in an exhibition of “Medieval and Later Treasures from a Private Collection” at the V&A, where it was dated by curator Paul Williamson to 1280. At the time The Art Newspaper identified the anonymous collector of the hundred items in the show as Paul Ruddock, then a V&A trustee. The authenticity of the buckle was questioned by Dr Blair and it was quietly removed from the display before the closure of the exhibition.

It was then tested by Oxford University’s Research Laboratory for archaeology & art, which showed that the enamel and silver filigree dated from the 19th century. The silver alloy of the body was consistent with medieval silver, although this could have been melted down old silver.

Original Article