Amarna Princess
Encyclopedia
The Amarna Princess, sometimes referred to as the "Bolton Amarna Princess", is a statue
forged by British art forger
Shaun Greenhalgh
and sold by his father to Bolton Museum
for £
440,000 in 2003. Based on the Amarna art-style
of ancient Egypt
, the purchase of the Amarna Princess was feted as a "coup" by the museum and it remained on display for three years. However, in November 2005, Greenhalgh was brought under suspicion by Scotland Yard
's Arts and Antiquities Unit, and the statue was impounded for further examination in March 2006. Now that the Greenhalghs have been convicted, the museum hopes to recover the Amarna Princess and plans then to redisplay it for a public viewing.
, Devon
, the home of the 4th Earl of Egremont
, George Wyndham. While the fourth Earl was not known as a collector, previous earls had been: the Praxitelean
"Leconfield Head", stands out even among the Greek antiquities at Petworth. One of the Wyndhams who acquired ancient sculptures from Rome might just have obtained, along with other pieces, the Amarna Princess. It was quite plausible then that George Wyndham had amassed a distinguished collection in his own new-built mansion at Silverton. Certainly the auction catalogue notes extended to pages.
Among the lots in the sale were a group lot comprising "a draped figure of a female, five marble statuettes and eight Egyptian figures." The vagueness of the catalogue description was not too surprising for the time, and if any such actual Amarna art had been there, it may well have remained unrecognised. Shaun Greenhalgh was a professional antique dealer and meticulous researcher, and must have been well aware of this. While he did not appear to have had access to the internet he was well used to the trade catalogues and art books, and is known to have worked from photographs. Further to the item's natural obscurity, there are only two other similar statuettes existing in the world. These are held in the Louvre
and the Penn Museum
.
In the event, taking full advantage of the vagueness of the auction notes Greenhalgh manufactured what became the Amarna Princess, a 52 cm statue, apparently made of a "stunning translucent alabaster
." Done in the Egyptian Amarna style
of 1350 BC, the statue represents one of the daughters of the Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti
, probable father and stepmother of Tutankhamun
. Greenhalgh reputedly "knocked up" his copy in his shed in three weeks out of calcite
, "using basic DIY tools and making it look old by coating it in a mixture of tea and clay". A copyist by inclination, his piece was most likely based directly on the known princesses, especially the one in the Louvre. A diagrammatic comparison shows just how close the similarities are, down to the missing limbs. The Amarna Princess being only somewhat taller, by 21 cm (8.3 in).
George pretended to be ignorant about its true worth or value, but was careful to provide the letters Shaun had also faked, showing how the artifact had been in the family for "a hundred years". He told them he was "thinking about using it as a garden ornament". And further, he claimed it had been valued at a mere £500.
also agreed that it was a genuine piece. It has not been revealed exactly what tests were taken or what criteria used to assess the authenticity of the Amarna Princess, beyond the declaration that provenance
played "a vital part in the authentication because there was nothing to compare it with," apart from the Louvre Princess. Though in her analysis Angela Thomas, the Egyptology curator of the Bolton Museum, mentioned various other statues from the era as well, most notably the Penn Museum princess. Assessment was also hampered because of the difficulty of testing stone.
More than just impressed by the provenance experts also concluded that "although its head, arms and lower legs have not survived.. the statuette is the most impressive example of its kind in the world." Angela Thomas provided an analysis that suggested a close examination of the item itself. She noted the back pillar which showed that it was "once part of a double statue." Elements of its "extreme style" suggested it was an early era piece, which was enough for her to speculate on which of the six daughters the statue might represent, Meritaten
– despite the absence of an inscription, or a head. She concluded the Amarna Princess was of "great significance."
After the forgery was exposed there was great interest in the exact source of the funding. It was composed of "£360,000 from the National Heritage Museum and Art Gallery
, a further £75,000 from the National Art Collections Fund
and £2,500 from the Friends of Bolton Museum and Art Gallery," plus a further £1,500 from the J. B. Gass Trust
. Bolton Museum detailed the financing on their website, and gave reassurances that no council money was involved.
as part of the prestigious "Saved!" exhibition of 2003. Opened by the Queen
the exhibition was meant as a "celebration of 100 years of saving art for the [British] nation." Billed as "spectacular" it spanned "4,000 years of art history" which would have made the Amarna Princess one of the oldest items there, had it been genuine.
On January 31, 2004 the Amarna Princess returned to "pride of place" at Bolton Museum, where it was expected to be a huge drawcard as the "jewel in the crown" of the Museum's highly regarded Egyptian collection. It was set among other items of the same era, including sculptures. The museum's Egyptian curator, Angela Thomas, speculated "It may even be the case that this will lead on to us getting further funds to do more." As a final ironic note, extra security was installed due to a theft in the museum the week before.
The Greenhalghs had triggered suspicions when they tried to perform a similar scam again, using the same provenance to support their ownership of what was purported to be an Assyrian freize. They were subsequently caught, and both father and sons were charged with laundering the money involved with the Amarna Princess. Shaun Greenhalgh was later convicted in November 2007. On searching their property police found evidence of tools and material for making sculptures, and two other completed copies of the Amarna Princess.
Councillor Barbara Ronson, of Bolton Council, was "shocked" to learn that the statue was a fake, and promised the council would be carrying out its own investigation. "You wonder how something like this could happen with the modern technology available." Stephen Johnson, National Heritage Memorial Fund Director was "extremely shocked." He said "the National Heritage Memorial Fund has not been in this position before in its 26-year history."
Both the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Art Collection Fund indicated that they might seek to recover their monies, as it had not been used for the "Approved Purposes;" while Bolton Museum said the Council too, expected to receive compensation.
However, the presiding judge, William Morris, exonerated the institution and any Council staff involved, preferring to focus on what he saw as "misapplied" talent and an "ambitious conspiracy," and emphasised the sophistication of the deception. One art expert said "the Amarna Princess ... is a reminder that the really good fakes in public and private collections haven't been spotted yet."
At the end of its statement, Bolton Museum acknowledged the new status of the statue as a forgery; it is now part of a touring exhibition on fake art.
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
forged by British art forger
Art forgery
Art forgery is the creation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler....
Shaun Greenhalgh
Shaun Greenhalgh
Shaun Greenhalgh is a British art forger. Over a seventeen-year period, between 1989 and 2006, he produced a phenomenal range of forgeries...
and sold by his father to Bolton Museum
Bolton Museum
Bolton Museum is a public museum and art gallery in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester, northern England, owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council....
for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
440,000 in 2003. Based on the Amarna art-style
Amarna art
The Ancient Egyptian art style known as Amarna Art was a style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period , and is noticeably different from more conventional Egyptian art styles.It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images, with figures having raised heads, many figures...
of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, the purchase of the Amarna Princess was feted as a "coup" by the museum and it remained on display for three years. However, in November 2005, Greenhalgh was brought under suspicion by Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
's Arts and Antiquities Unit, and the statue was impounded for further examination in March 2006. Now that the Greenhalghs have been convicted, the museum hopes to recover the Amarna Princess and plans then to redisplay it for a public viewing.
Background and preparation
In 1999, following some early successes, the Greenhalghs began their most ambitious forgery project yet. They bought the 1892 sale catalogue of the contents of Silverton ParkSilverton Park
Silverton Park, a mansion near Silverton, Devon, England, was erected for George Wyndham, fourth Earl of Egremont, in 1839–45. Having inherited the Egremont title but not the great Egremont seat, Petworth House, he determined to rival Petworth with a house of his own. His architect, James Thomas...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, the home of the 4th Earl of Egremont
Earl of Egremont
Earls of Egremont was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1749, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Cockermouth, for Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, with remainder to his nephews Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th Baronet, of Orchard Wyndham, and Percy Wyndham-O’Brien...
, George Wyndham. While the fourth Earl was not known as a collector, previous earls had been: the Praxitelean
Praxiteles
Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue...
"Leconfield Head", stands out even among the Greek antiquities at Petworth. One of the Wyndhams who acquired ancient sculptures from Rome might just have obtained, along with other pieces, the Amarna Princess. It was quite plausible then that George Wyndham had amassed a distinguished collection in his own new-built mansion at Silverton. Certainly the auction catalogue notes extended to pages.
Among the lots in the sale were a group lot comprising "a draped figure of a female, five marble statuettes and eight Egyptian figures." The vagueness of the catalogue description was not too surprising for the time, and if any such actual Amarna art had been there, it may well have remained unrecognised. Shaun Greenhalgh was a professional antique dealer and meticulous researcher, and must have been well aware of this. While he did not appear to have had access to the internet he was well used to the trade catalogues and art books, and is known to have worked from photographs. Further to the item's natural obscurity, there are only two other similar statuettes existing in the world. These are held in the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and the Penn Museum
State Museum of Pennsylvania
The State Museum of Pennsylvania is a non-profit museum at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg, run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve and interpret the region's history and culture. It is a part of the Pennsylvania State...
.
In the event, taking full advantage of the vagueness of the auction notes Greenhalgh manufactured what became the Amarna Princess, a 52 cm statue, apparently made of a "stunning translucent alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
." Done in the Egyptian Amarna style
Amarna art
The Ancient Egyptian art style known as Amarna Art was a style of art that was adopted in the Amarna Period , and is noticeably different from more conventional Egyptian art styles.It is characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images, with figures having raised heads, many figures...
of 1350 BC, the statue represents one of the daughters of the Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti
Nefertiti
Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only...
, probable father and stepmother of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
. Greenhalgh reputedly "knocked up" his copy in his shed in three weeks out of calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
, "using basic DIY tools and making it look old by coating it in a mixture of tea and clay". A copyist by inclination, his piece was most likely based directly on the known princesses, especially the one in the Louvre. A diagrammatic comparison shows just how close the similarities are, down to the missing limbs. The Amarna Princess being only somewhat taller, by 21 cm (8.3 in).
Selling the statue
George Greenhalgh, the forger's father, then approached the Bolton Museum in 2002, claiming the Amarna was from his great-grandfather’s "forgotten collection," bought at the Silverton Park auction. His great-grandfather had purportedly bought "one of two" Egyptian statues available.George pretended to be ignorant about its true worth or value, but was careful to provide the letters Shaun had also faked, showing how the artifact had been in the family for "a hundred years". He told them he was "thinking about using it as a garden ornament". And further, he claimed it had been valued at a mere £500.
The authentication
After their own examination of the Amarna Princess Bolton Museum passed it on to others to evaluate, in accordance with their stated best practices. In the first instance this role fell to Christies, who valued the statue at £500,000. The British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
also agreed that it was a genuine piece. It has not been revealed exactly what tests were taken or what criteria used to assess the authenticity of the Amarna Princess, beyond the declaration that provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
played "a vital part in the authentication because there was nothing to compare it with," apart from the Louvre Princess. Though in her analysis Angela Thomas, the Egyptology curator of the Bolton Museum, mentioned various other statues from the era as well, most notably the Penn Museum princess. Assessment was also hampered because of the difficulty of testing stone.
More than just impressed by the provenance experts also concluded that "although its head, arms and lower legs have not survived.. the statuette is the most impressive example of its kind in the world." Angela Thomas provided an analysis that suggested a close examination of the item itself. She noted the back pillar which showed that it was "once part of a double statue." Elements of its "extreme style" suggested it was an early era piece, which was enough for her to speculate on which of the six daughters the statue might represent, Meritaten
Meritaten
Meritaten also spelled Merytaten or Meryetaten was an ancient Egyptian queen of the eighteenth dynasty, who held the position of Great Royal Wife to Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who may have been a brother or son of Akhenaten...
– despite the absence of an inscription, or a head. She concluded the Amarna Princess was of "great significance."
Funding and purchase
The purchase of the Amarna Princess for £439,767 in 2003 made "headlines around the world." The Bolton Museum considered its purchase a "coup," since the statue was purported to be worth closer to a £1 million. The explanation of its apparent cheapness was that the vendor wanted it to stay in Bolton.After the forgery was exposed there was great interest in the exact source of the funding. It was composed of "£360,000 from the National Heritage Museum and Art Gallery
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
, a further £75,000 from the National Art Collections Fund
National Art Collections Fund
The Art Fund is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as well as lobbying on behalf of museums and galleries and their users...
and £2,500 from the Friends of Bolton Museum and Art Gallery," plus a further £1,500 from the J. B. Gass Trust
John Bradshaw Gass
John Bradshaw Gass British Architect and Artist. Gass was a nephew of J. J. Bradshaw, the founder of Bradshaw Gass & Hope. He received the Ashbury Prize for Civil Engineering at Owens College . He assisted Sir Ernest George in London before, in 1880, becoming a pupil of his uncle in Bolton...
. Bolton Museum detailed the financing on their website, and gave reassurances that no council money was involved.
On display
The Amarna Princess first went on public display in the Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
as part of the prestigious "Saved!" exhibition of 2003. Opened by the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
the exhibition was meant as a "celebration of 100 years of saving art for the [British] nation." Billed as "spectacular" it spanned "4,000 years of art history" which would have made the Amarna Princess one of the oldest items there, had it been genuine.
On January 31, 2004 the Amarna Princess returned to "pride of place" at Bolton Museum, where it was expected to be a huge drawcard as the "jewel in the crown" of the Museum's highly regarded Egyptian collection. It was set among other items of the same era, including sculptures. The museum's Egyptian curator, Angela Thomas, speculated "It may even be the case that this will lead on to us getting further funds to do more." As a final ironic note, extra security was installed due to a theft in the museum the week before.
Exposed as forgery
In mid-March 2006 Scotland Yard's Arts and Antiquities Unit impounded the Amarna Princess as part of an on-going investigation of the Greenhalgh family.The Greenhalghs had triggered suspicions when they tried to perform a similar scam again, using the same provenance to support their ownership of what was purported to be an Assyrian freize. They were subsequently caught, and both father and sons were charged with laundering the money involved with the Amarna Princess. Shaun Greenhalgh was later convicted in November 2007. On searching their property police found evidence of tools and material for making sculptures, and two other completed copies of the Amarna Princess.
Reactions and current status
After the trial, Bolton Museum scrambled to distance itself and described itself as "blameless". The museum insisted that it had followed established procedure, though they called George Greenhalgh "a nice old man who had no idea of the significance of what he owned." As more than one commentator has noted: "We are never more likely to be vulnerable to a cheat than when we ourselves are trying to diddle someone out of a masterpiece."Councillor Barbara Ronson, of Bolton Council, was "shocked" to learn that the statue was a fake, and promised the council would be carrying out its own investigation. "You wonder how something like this could happen with the modern technology available." Stephen Johnson, National Heritage Memorial Fund Director was "extremely shocked." He said "the National Heritage Memorial Fund has not been in this position before in its 26-year history."
Both the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Art Collection Fund indicated that they might seek to recover their monies, as it had not been used for the "Approved Purposes;" while Bolton Museum said the Council too, expected to receive compensation.
However, the presiding judge, William Morris, exonerated the institution and any Council staff involved, preferring to focus on what he saw as "misapplied" talent and an "ambitious conspiracy," and emphasised the sophistication of the deception. One art expert said "the Amarna Princess ... is a reminder that the really good fakes in public and private collections haven't been spotted yet."
At the end of its statement, Bolton Museum acknowledged the new status of the statue as a forgery; it is now part of a touring exhibition on fake art.
See also
- The list of Greenhalgh's known forgeries, including the Risley Park LanxRisley Park LanxThe Risley Park Lanx is a large Roman silver dish that was discovered in 1729 in Risley Park, Derbyshire. Among the Romans a lanx was generally a large serving platter in size about 15 by 20 inches. Particularly ornamented ones were used to make offerings or sacrifices...
and the Gauguin FaunThe FaunThe Faun is a sculpture by British forger Shaun Greenhalgh. He successfully passed it off as a work by Paul Gauguin, selling it at Sotheby's for £20,700 in 1994. Three years later in 1997 it was bought by the Art Institute of Chicago for an undisclosed sum, thought to be about $125,000...
.