Fakes and Forgeries Seminars on Antique Silver: NYC and Williamsburg, VA

A unique insight into the faking and forgering of antique silver and gold; aimed specially for collectors, silver specialists, auctioneers, independent dealers, insurance valuers; Goldsmiths' Company

“FAKES AND FORGERIES” SILVER SEMINARSHOSTED BY ASSAY OFFICE LONDON AND THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF GOLDSMITHS TO TAKE PLACE IN NEW YORK NY, RICHMOND VA AND WILLIAMSBURG VA, USASINCE ITS FORMATION by Royal Charter in 1327, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths has played an integral part in the regulation of the silver trade. Today, The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office London continues to be the world’s authoritative body for authenticating antique silver and, in addition, plays an important support and educational role. Under this remit Assay Office London has, for more than a decade, organised seminars on detecting fakes and forgeries in antique silver. For the first time, Assay Office London is presenting its educational programmes in the United States. Two full-day seminars will be offered in the USA this autumn. The first will be offered in association with the Bard Graduate Center and Christie’s in New York City on October 23 2007. The second will be held on October 25 2007 in association with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg VA. Dr Robert Organ, Deputy Warden of The Goldsmiths’ Company and Head of Assay Office London, said: “To take the Fakes and Forgeries seminar on the road is one of Assay Office London’s new initiatives. By better informing both international collectors of silver and also the wider trade in the regulation of antique silver and ancient hallmarks, we hope to increase interest and trust in this specialised market. America has many important collections of English silver and we want to encourage this valuable collecting tradition.” The seminars are specifically for silver specialists, auctioneers, independent dealers and insurance valuers, as well as private collectors and are designed to provide them with an invaluable opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the identification of fake and forged antique silver. The full-day seminars comprise a morning session which explores the English Hallmarking system, the regulatory role of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and Assay Office London and the use of scientific methods in the authentication of antique plate. In addition, lectures with perspectives on detecting fakes in the field of antique silver and jewellery will be delivered by Timothy Schroder, former Head of Christie’s Silver Department, and Charles Truman, general editor of ‘Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopaedia of Silver’. In the afternoon, a “hands-on” session, led by silver specialists, offers participants the opportunity to examine articles from the infamous Assay Office London’s Rogues’ Museum of Fakes, the largest known collection of fake English silver. Among the fakes to be examined are common examples such as spoons converted into forks, transposed marks and articles made from base metal. In addition, pieces that continue to perplex experts will be discussed to ensure that all levels of expertise benefit from this unique exercise. Questions such as how to identify an illegal cast duplicate of an authentic original, how an expert decides on an object’s authenticity and legality will all be addressed during the seminar. Included in the seminar programme is an evening lecture by Alastair Dickenson of the BBC’s ‘Antiques Roadshow’ fame on the history of fakes and forgeries in antique silver. The lecture will be followed by a reception and preview of Christie’s Auction of ‘Important Silver and Objects of Virtue’ in New York on October 23, 2007. A reception and private view of ‘Noble Silver: the Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver’ at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond will follow Alastair Dickenson’s lecture on October 24, 2007, in association with the full day seminar in Williamsburg on October 25, 2007. Those interested in taking part in the New York seminar or evening lecture should contact: The Bard Graduate Center, Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, 18 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024, Information: 212-501-3011; email: programs@bgc.bard.edu www.bgc.bard.edu/public/special_events.shtml Those interested in taking part in the Williamsburg seminar should contact:


The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 325 Francis Street, Williamsburg, Virginia USA 23185, Information: 1-800-HISTORYwww.history.org/History/museums/dewitt_gallery.cfm Those interested in attending the evening lecture in Richmond should contact:The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts ticket desk, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VAInformation: 1-804-340-1405http://www.vmfa.museum Further information on forthcoming seminars and additional educational programmes can be found on The Goldsmiths’ Company’s website: www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk Lectures at the upcoming seminars delivered by The Goldsmiths’ Company, include the following: Why is Silver So Special?Address by Dr. Robert Organ, Deputy Warden, Assay Office LondonThe history of Hallmarking and The Goldsmiths’ CompanyVideo starring Mr. Tim Wonnacott, daytime presenter of BBC’s ‘Bargain Hunt’ The Final Word on Fakes:

The Role of the Assay Office and the Antique Plate CommitteeMiss Christina Reti, Marketing Manager & Hallmark Specialist, Assay Office London Test Methods: The Use of Scientific Technology in Authenticating Silver PlateMr. Tim Swann, Senior Assayer, Assay Office LondonKeynote Speeches:The Connoisseurship of Fakes and ForgeriesMr. Timothy SchroderFreelance curator; Former Head of Christie’s Silver Department; Curator of the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House (1996-2000); Consultant Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2000-2006); Court of Assistants, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and former member of the Antique Plate Committee. Publications include: ‘The National Trust Book of English Domestic Silver’ (London, 1988); ‘The Gilbert Collection of Gold and Silver’ (Los Angeles, 1988); ‘Gold and Silver at the Ashmolean Museum’ (forthcoming 2008).Whatever has been collected has also been faked. Saintly relics in the Middle Ages, classical antiquities in the Renaissance and Queen Anne silver in our own times have all been targeted by enterprising fakers exploiting a buoyant and sometimes gullible market. This lecture looks at some of the broader issues of faking and tries to distinguish between the outright fake, the honest imitation and the unacceptably over-restored. In the specific field of English and Continental silver, it analyses a number of individual objects, giving insight into some of the many ways in which the work of the faker can be recognised.A Gem of a Fake: Targeting Fake Renaissance JewelleryMr. Charles TrumanCurrent member of the Antique Plate Committee; Past Chairman of the Silver Society and the British Antique Dealer’s Association; Former Director of Christie’s Silver Department; general editor of “Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopaedia of Silver”; author of “The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes” and numerous publications on precious metalworkSeveral prominent goldsmiths were working on the production of “Renaissance -style" goldsmith's work during the second half of the 19th century.

Many of their products found their way onto the market through the "Sale of the Century", that of the collection of Frederic Spitzer in Paris in 1893, but many had already found homes in some of Europe and America's finest collections. Curators from the Metropolitan Museum, New York, the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, the Musée Cluny in Paris, as well as those of the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London were unable to resist the attraction of such sought after pieces. In this lecture, Charles Truman will explore whether or not these spectacular pieces were made as deliberate fakes or if they were made out of respect for an earlier tradition and used as "window-dressing" for great collections.Evening Lecture and Reception: The Fake’s ProgressMr. Alastair DickensonLeading antique silver dealer and participating specialist on the BBC’s ‘Antiques Roadshow’ for over 15 years; former Director of Asprey’s Antiques Department and Tessier Bond Street; only member of the Antique Plate Committee to be re-elected for a second term; former council member of the BADA; founding member of the Guild of Art Scholars, Dealers and Collectors.

The possibility of overlooking a fake or forged piece of silver has haunted experts, curators, and collectors for as long as silver has been a prized commodity. In this lecture, silver specialist Alastair Dickenson will expose some of the sharp practices undertaken by disreputable silversmiths and dealers, and will unveil clues to distinguishing between fake and genuine articles. Tracing the history of fakes and forgeries from the early 18th century, Dickenson will also highlight some very recent developments in faking and discuss the sophisticated methods that present a challenge to current connoisseurship.NOTES TO EDITORS:Fakes and Forgeries Seminar New York 23 October, 2007 – 9am – 4pmBard Graduate Center38 West 86th Street, NY, NYCost: $120 general$100 seniors and students(includes admission to the Alastair Dickenson lecture on October 23)The Fake’s Progress Lecture New Yorkby Alastair Dickenson23 October, 2007 – 6pm – 8pmChristie’s20 Rockefeller Plaza (The lecture will be followed by a reception and preview of Christie’s Auction of ‘Important Silver and Objects of Virtue’, to be held 26 October, 2007)Cost:$20 general$15 seniors and studentsThe Fake’s Progress Lecture Richmondby Alastair Dickenson24 October, 2007 – 6.00pm – 8.00pmVirginia Museum of Fine Arts200 N. Boulevard Richmond, Virginia USA 23220-4007 (The lecture will be followed by a reception and preview of ‘Noble Silver: The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver’)Cost:$20 general$10 seniors and studentsFakes and Forgeries Seminar Williamsburg25 October, 2007 – 9.30am – 4.30pmThe DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation325 Francis StreetWilliamsburg, Virginia USA 23185Cost: $160 general$120 seniors and students(includes lunch and evening lecture at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)For further press information and images please contact:Christina Reti or Amanda Stücklin,Press Office, Tel 020 7367 5913, Email: Amanda.stucklin@thegoldsmiths.co.uk Christina.reti@assayofficelondon.co.uk www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk