Image: "One of the Columbus letters" https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christopher-columbus-letters-stolen-from-vatican-libraries-around-the-world-60-minutes-2019-10-20/After a long hiatus, I am back having completed my MA!
I would like to start something new regarding this blog, which is Fraud Friday. Which I realize is a day late, but I press onwards. Fraud Friday is to highlight news, books, and related materials (old and current) regarding fraud, theft, or other nefarious perpetrations against cultural heritage. It will mostly focus on book and paper items, but will encompass the broader cultural heritage community as well. This first story is quite a recent event for the news. There is a letter from Christopher Columbus regarding his news of discovering a new land to Portugal's monarchy. This letter was then translated into Latin and distributed. (Who wouldn't want to hear news like this?) Throughout the years a few copies survive in prestigious institutions around the world, saved current and future generations...or so everyone thought. That was until a rare book dealer noticed that two letters looked exactly the same. One thing about conservation is that no two things are ever exactly the same. Things can be similar, in that they are made of paper and have ink on them. However, similar (ultimately) means completely different . Two items will have different types of damages, different smudges, different amount of ink on the type, or even a different mold residue (the list could go on). This uncanny (and highly improbable) similarity caused the rare book dealer to inquire further which led to an international investigation (this is the stuff of Hollywood!). The journey behind this investigation is fascinating and I highly recommend watching the clip from 60minutes. As a conservator it was lovely to see the skills of another distinguished conservator and imaging specialist highlighted in the news: Nora Lockshin, Smithsonian Institution Archives paper conservator Keets Webb, digital imaging specialist CBS News: Forgery Forensics Smithsonian Mag: Stolen Christopher Columbus Letters While this is certainly a highly specialized deception, regular audits are recommended for collections of any type and size, inspection both before and after the item has been examined by a researcher, and possibly chaperoned (through tech or in person) examinations of high profile items. Enjoy the post!
35 Comments
|
AuthorLeah Humenuck Blog Categories
Archives
February 2020
Categories |