Beautiful Forgeries at the British Museum

Forgery of Lombard gold jewelry
20th-century imitation of work from the 7th century
acquired 1930
British Museum

The works grouped together here are among more than five thousand objects at the British Museum officially identified as fakes. The vast majority of these are imitations of ancient coins and of early modern bank notes. Selected in this space are a few of the more picturesque artifacts, both ancient and modern.

Forgery of Achemenid gold and lapis staff-handle
20th-century imitation of work from the 5th century BC
acquired 1973
British Museum

Forgery of Tanagra terracotta figurine
19th-century imitation of work from the 4th century BC
acquired 1881
British Museum

Forgery of ivory sculpture group
Holy Women at the foot of the Cross
18th-19th century imitation of work from the 14th century
acquired 1918
British Museum

Forgery of German portrait-drawing of a woman
18th-century imitation of work from the 16th century
acquired 1946
British Museum

Forgery of a portrait-drawing by Hans Holbein the younger
19th-20th century imitation of work from the 16th century
acquired 1967
British Museum

Forgery of a Rembrandt etching of the artist's mother
18th-century imitation of work from the 17th century
acquired 1848
British Museum

Forgery of a sheet of drawings by Watteau
20th-century imitation of work from the 18th century
acquired 1992
British Museum

Forgery of a watercolor by Fragonard
19th-century imitation of work from the 18th century
acquired 1872
British Museum

Forgery of a drawing by Giandomenico Tiepolo
20th-century imitation of work from the 18th century
acquired 1992
British Museum

Forgery of a drawing by Goya
19th-20th-century imitation of work from the 18th century
acquired 1930
British Museum

Forgery of a watercolor by Corot
19th-20th-century imitation of work from the 19th century
acquired 1926
British Museum

Forgery of a watercolor by JMW Turner
19th-20th-century imitation of work from the 19th century
acquired 1954
British Museum

Forgery of a Venetian watercolor by John Singer Sargent
20th-century imitation of work from the 19th century
acquired 1973
British Museum