Still Life: Flowers in an Urn

Neo-Dutch still life, circa 1860

Unknown (FR)

This is an authentic painting, created circa 1860 by an unidentified artist, probably French. It became a fake when an unscrupulous owner removed the signature of the original artist from the bottom left of the painting and added the fake signature of Rachel Ruysch (1664—1750), and the fake date of 1739 to the bottom right. To enhance the forgery, the painting was rehoused in a frame bearing the crest of Queen Adelaide. The frame is genuine and might originally have housed an unimportant work from the royal collection.