The Spanish champion

"The Spanish Master" is an auxiliary term for an art forger in the field of ancient bronze sculpture who has not yet been exposed. Since the legendary " Capitoline Wolf " has been mistaken for a medieval work by some scholars, several 'suspicious' bronze sculptures from the Etruscan, Greek and Roman antiquity have been examined more closely and analyzed as sophisticated forgeries from our day. Some researchers suspect his studio in the Naples area. However, other indications point more towards southern Spain. Hence the name comes from.

The notorious and now legally convicted London art dealer Robin Symes also plays a role in this context.

The characteristics of the forgeries of the "Spanish Master" are mentioned:

• “The forger almost only makes busts and heads;
• he never solder, because this cannot be imitated in the ancient manner;
• the necks of the figures are always frayed, as if they had been brutally torn off. The faces, on the other hand, have only small scratches;
• the patina looks elegant and well distributed - reference to caustic agents. "

The archaeologist Stefan Lehmann assumes that at least nine exhibits go back to the "Spanish Master".

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matthias Schulz: Heroes put to the test . In: Der Spiegel . No. 3 , 2008, p. 112-115 ( Online - Jan. 14, 2008 ).
2. ↑ ^{a b} Matthias Schulz: Art History: Search for a brilliant forger of antique bronze busts . In: Der Spiegel . No. 47 , 2011, p. 160-163 ( Online - Nov. 21, 2011 ).