Στο πλαίσιο του εκθεσιακού θεσμού με τίτλο «Νέα αποκτήματα / Νέες προσεγγίσεις», μία περίοπτη προθήκη στον χώρο υποδοχής του μουσείου καλωσορίζει τους επισκέπτες, συστήνοντάς τους μερικές από τις πιο ενδιαφέρουσες, νέες και παλιές, αρχαιότητές του.

Αντικείμενα που είτε αποκτήθηκαν πρόσφατα και για πρώτη φορά παρουσιάζονται στο επιστημονικό και ευρύ κοινό είτε ανασύρθηκαν από τα ράφια των αποθηκών για να εκτεθούν υπό το πρίσμα μιας νέας προσέγγισης, όπως μετά από μία διαδικασία αποκατάστασης, μία νέα ερμηνεία ή νέα επιστημονικά δεδομένα.

Forgery Issues: An Ancient Vase with Fake Decoration from the Papailiakis Collection

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki posesses some forged objects within its collections. One such example is the cup (bolsal) MΘ 11663 from the Papailiakis Collection, donated to the museum in 1985, initially believed to be authentic. However, recent research has revealed it to be an ancient vase with forged decoration.

Greek public archaeological museums typically acquire ancient artifacts primarily through excavations, ensuring their authenticity. Nonetheless, they also receive antiquities through other channels such as private donations, purchases, repatriations, and confiscations, where the provenance of the objects may not always be clear, raising doubts about their authenticity. Consequently, fake ancient objects have found their way into the collections of Greek museums.

The vase in question, a bolsal according to archaeological terminology, is Attic, dating back to 425-400 BC, yet its exterior is adorned in the Corinthian style, specifically a style dating 150 to 200 years earlier, from the first half of the 6th century BC. In other words, the vase is not consistent with the decoration either in terms of the workshop where it was made or in terms of its dating. The only original, authentic decoration remaining is on its concealed lower surface, covered entirely with a dense, glossy black glaze, a hallmark of Attic pottery.

In this particular instance, the forger used an authentic ancient vase, scraping its inner and outer surfaces, preserving only the underside of the base, and then adding an entirely new decoration to the exterior, drawing inspiration from ancient Corinthian representations. Several details of the decoration unmistakably betray its modern origin, notably the absence of gloss from the interior of the vase.

For comparison, two authentic ancient objects are displayed in the showcase: an Attic vase of identical shape from Nea Michaniona (late 5th c. BC) and a Corinthian vase featuring characteristic Corinthian decoration from Sindos (560-550 BC).