Richard Bott
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richardbott.bsky.social
Richard Bott
@richardbott.bsky.social
ECR at Macquarie University writing about fakes, forgeries, provenance, museums, and the antiquities trade
My new article, ‘Miscellaneous Fragments' and 'Specimens of the Faker's Art'
Fake Papyri and the British-American Papyrus Syndicate, is out
April 29, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Richard Bott
In the 14th century, someone who didn't have a highlighter handy thought to use octopus tentacles to mark the most important parts. I love it so much

(Manuscript from the Bankcroft library, UC Berkeley)
March 31, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Richard Bott
"Recent investigations, however, have revealed that the skull fragments belong not to a Neanderthal but to a human from the early Middle Ages, making them much less significant"

news.artnet.com/art-world/ar...
Top German Archaeologist Accused of Faking Prehistoric Discoveries
German archeologist Axel von Berg was among the world’s most respected. Now, his historic findings are being called into question.
news.artnet.com
December 8, 2024 at 2:42 AM
Reposted by Richard Bott
An interview with the Director of Sudan Museums regarding the recent looting: theconversation.com/sudans-natio... - by myself & Richard Bott (Macquarie)
theconversation.com
November 22, 2024 at 1:33 AM
Our interview with Dr Ikhlas Abdel Latief, Sudan’s director of Museums, about the recent looting of the Sudan National Museum

theconversation.com/sudans-natio...
Sudan’s national treasures have been stolen – we spoke with the director of museums
The war in Sudan has seen the looting of the country’s museums. Heritage boss Ikhlas Abdel Latief speaks about the losses.
theconversation.com
November 21, 2024 at 8:26 PM
www.occrp.org/en/news/ital...

“The cross-border investigation uncovered additional workshops, yielding more than 1,000 counterfeit artworks and over 500 fake certificates and stamps of authenticity.”

A friendly reminder that ‘certificates of authenticity’ provide little actual security
Italian Authorities Charge 38 in $215M Art Forgery Ring
Italian authorities dismantle a forgery network selling fake works attributed to Banksy, Warhol, Picasso, and Miró, averting $215 million in potential losses.
www.occrp.org
November 14, 2024 at 12:25 AM