Were the ancient Romans art forgers?

• Main Author: William Casemen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Art History, University of Birmingham 2016-12-01
• Series: Journal of Art Historiography
• Subjects: Roman studies; art forgery; ancient Rome; classical sculpture; copy culture
• Online Access: https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/casement.pdf

A popularly held tenet in the historical record on art is that the practice of forgery began in ancient Rome, where sculptures made by craftsmen of the day were passed off as classical Greek antiquities. However, revisionist scholars in recent decades have challenged this perspective. One line of criticism denies that forgery was present in Rome, asserting that the evidence for it has been misunderstood. A softer line suggests that while the traditional view overstates the case, there is still reason to accept that the culture of Rome harbored art forgery. This article assesses the competing claims in light of literary references by Roman authors, physical evidence including inscriptions on sculptures, the phenomenon of Corinthian bronze, the nature of Roman copying, social and economic conditions necessary for art forgery to arise, and what art forgery consists of by definition.