Readers of this blog will know that Colorado dealer Bob Dodge is not one of my favourite people, he has been rude and aggressive towards me in the past when challenged and besides that has such a grating voice and demeanour that irritate me. That's before we get on to what he has been selling. But credit where credit is due, this video of his is very informative. One of the points covered is manganese blooms mentioned in the post above. So, with some reluctance, I'll post a link to one of the better explanations on the internet of the issues of spotting fake artefacts, including the problem of manganese deposits/blooms on pre-Columbian pottery on the market (for those in a hurry, this begins here: Artemis):
Artemis Gallery "Using Sight to Authenticate Ancient Art" Aug 6, 2015. 9,092 viewsBob Dodge from Artemis Gallery explains how to use your eyes (your sense of sight) to distinguish authentic ancient pottery from modern replicas.
[this is not an endorsement, and not all this video says is good, for example taking a q-tip with acetone to any antiquity is not a good idea as certain types of q-tips may not be chemically inert to acetone, but secondly randomly applying acetone in a search for 'authenticity' to the surface of an authentic vessel that has the painted decoration professionally retouched after excavation is not going to make the dealer happy, since the paints used will have been chosen to be reversible precisely using solvents like acetone].
But make your own minds up. There are some good points here. And there is a desperate need for there to be more videos like this out there to inform collectors.
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