A succession of artistic expressions made a fundamental contribution to the evolution of painting. Indeed, there has always been a continuous appreciation of both modern paintings as well as those globally known as “Old Masters”.

The historiography of the arts developed the concept of authenticity beginning with in the XIX century, which entailed the verification of sources and the searching of archives, followed by the identification of those artists whose lives, for various reasons, remains a mystery. Through the verification of materials and the artist’s brush strokes we have learnt to identify potential restorative interventions and, among other things, to consider the signature as a pictorial element as well as a graphic marking.

Thanks to the collaboration of the profession of the art historian and with the support of cutting-edge diagnostic technologies, today it is possible to study the work of art without being limited to providing an attribution through the study of graphic and qualitative aspects, but also by verifying the coherence of the work with its own support, with the preparatory base, with the pictorial layer and the protective varnish, thereby providing definitive interpretations capable of gathering those subtleties that make it possible to distinguish the genuine, the possible, and the counterfeit.

What is particularly important in identifying the author and in recognising the artistic work is its presence in publications, auction catalogues, show and exhibition catalogues, collections… these testimonies are fundamental in relations with foundations and institutes responsible for the production of the “certificates of authenticity” necessary in order to make an affirmation on the art market.