WEBVTT - False Impressions: Frederic Spitzer and His Master Forgers 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:06.559 Welcome to Criminalia, a production of shondaland Audio in partnership 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:21.079 with iHeartRadio. 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:20.000 Gold and jewel encrusted. The Rospigliosi cup had been displayed 0:00:20.079 --> 0:00:23.560 as a work of sixteenth century Italian goldsmith ben Venuto 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:26.439 Cellini at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:30.080 City since nineteen thirteen as part of the Benjamin Altman 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:34.400 bequest to the museum. But in the early nineteen eighties 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:37.400 it was discovered that the piece, one of the mets 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:42.640 most admired and beloved Renaissance treasures, was actually not et 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.440 Cellini original at all. It was really a nineteenth century 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:51.279 Vasters original, and there were others. Welcome to Criminalia, I'm 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:52.560 Maria Trumurky. 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:57.480 And I'm Holly Frye. Reinhold Vasters was in nineteenth century 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:01.720 German goldsmith. His work then zo changed when his wife 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:05.720 Katerina Hamaker died in eighteen fifty nine, and that left 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.000 him with two young daughters to raise and a tight 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:13.200 budget on which to do so. Today he's famous for 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:18.119 his forgeries of Renaissance objects, including jewelry and vessels in particular, 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:22.520 but no one ever knew or guessed about his counterfeits 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:27.200 until decades after his death. It all unraveled when the 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:32.080 Victorian Albert Museum in London began an investigation about works 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:36.720 in their archive. Their work led to a revelation beyond 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:39.959 the walls of the Vina. In time, it would be 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:43.039 discovered that at least forty five objects at the men 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:49.080 were actually Vaster's works masquerading as authentic pieces, and they 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:50.920 were not the only ones duped. 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:57.440 Vasters is generally acknowledged as a gifted goldsmith and interpreter 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.600 of period pieces from the time of the European Renaissance. 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:05.120 Experts have linked some examples of nineteenth century jewelry as 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:08.800 well as some goldsmithing as his genuine work. He's not 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.440 all fakes. During his legit years. In eighteen fifty three, 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.400 Basters was contracted to be part of the restoration of 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:19.680 the Ahen Cathedral, specifically to make reproductions of designs for 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:23.200 Franz Bach, canon of the cathedral and curator at the 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:27.680 local Diocesan Museum, a museum for the Catholic Church. Bach 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.919 employed highly skilled goldsmiths to not only restore, but also 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:36.120 to replace liturgical objects that had been damaged through continuous 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:42.400 usage over time, and here Basters worked with fellow legitimate goldsmiths. 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:44.959 In town records, he is mentioned for having a quote 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:48.200 workshop for the production of church vessels in the medieval style, 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.240 and he's once named as a jeweler in the town. 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:55.960 Bach's project put Maasters on the radar of various dealers. 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.600 And this is when a man named Frederick Spitzer are 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:03.360 an antagonist. If we're going to hand out labels enters 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.919 the story Frederick Spitzer. 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:11.400 Vasters may have been the maker, but Baron Frederick Spitzer 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:15.680 was the seller, and it seems the mastermind behind a 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:18.560 lot of forged works during the years he was alive. 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:23.120 Spitzer was a Viennese art collector and dealer of antiquities, 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:28.680 specializing in medieval and Renaissance art. He worked with European collectors, 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:32.639 including prominent names like Baron Adolph de Rothschild and Sir 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.680 Richard Wallace, and he boasted that some of his art 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.600 objects came from the collections of, among others, Louis Fedel 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:45.920 de Bruges, Dumenil, Prince Soltikov, Baron Sellier, Alessandro Castellani, and 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:51.280 Julian Greo. In the years close to Vaster's wife Katerina's death, 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:56.320 Spitzer commissioned Vasters to be his in house forger. The 0:03:56.400 --> 0:04:00.400 job offer was that Vasters would alter existing objects and 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:03.520 or create new forgeries that could be sold on the 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.119 market as authentic works of art, all made to meet 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:13.119 market demand. In addition to handling artifacts many of dubious providence, 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:17.720 Correspondence between Spitzer and his associates suggested he was also 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:22.400 very much engaged in some underhanded negotiations and trading with 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:27.000 various collectors. For Masters, the partnership was simple, though it 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.400 kept him flush in work and money. 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:34.560 While experts consider his connection to Spitzer to be firmly established, 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:38.080 there is evidence of it in the historical record, the 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:43.800 record of works misattributed and provenances deliberately concealed. The extent 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:47.400 of that may never be known. Maasters doesn't get a 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:51.560 lot of recognition as a talented professional goldsmith during his lifetime, 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:56.039 though he was, but experts theorize from piecing together the 0:04:56.080 --> 0:05:00.279 financial records of his anonymous works that Spitzer's very very 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:04.240 generous payments for his forgeries may have compensated for that. 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:09.320 Maasters wasn't the only forger working for Spitzer. Spitzer had 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:12.920 a large number of pieces forged by other goldsmiths and artists, 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:14.599 which he sold as authentic. 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:17.960 We're going to take a break here for a word 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.719 from our sponsor, and when we come back we will 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:24.680 talk about how Spitzer basically lived in a gallery and 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.360 how it was a stack of drawings that brought down 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:30.279 the forgery empire. 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:45.320 Welcome back to Criminalia. Let's get to know more about Spitzer, 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.719 the guy who turned his own home into a museum, 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:53.000 as well as his unique way of making a sale. 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:56.520 Spitzer's first big art deal was when he resold an 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:01.479 Albrecht Durer engraving at a huge profit. He established his 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:04.599 business in London in the eighteen forties and then moved 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:08.280 to Paris in eighteen fifty two. By the time he 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:11.239 was in Paris, he had been successful enough to turn 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:15.080 his home into a collector's dream. It became known as 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:20.279 Lemius Spitzer. Located near the Oucta Triomphe. His mansion was 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.839 filled as one would fill a museum gallery and as 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:27.240 you'd see at the Louver, for instance, objects were housed 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:32.320 in glass cases and everything was cataloged. This home slash 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:36.320 gallery was a popular high society hangout. Some came to 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:39.080 view the works he kept and some came to buy them. 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.960 American artist and ex pat John Singer Sargeant was a 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:47.520 regular presence there, for instance, and Hungarian composer and pianist 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:51.240 Franz Liszt was often around the house too, and is 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:53.680 said to have been heard playing the piano on occasion. 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:59.320 Among his regular clients were magnates including the Rothschilds, as 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:04.520 well as newspaper baron William Randolph Hurst. Spitzer showed his 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:08.760 works for sale in a particular way. He always showed 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:13.080 a number of works together. No object was ever seen solo, 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:17.600 and he always chose a mix of authentic pieces with 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:18.760 forged pieces. 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.920 He may have courted names like the Rothchilds, but Spitzer 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:28.480 also focused on the practice of revitalizing broken or damaged 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.840 works of art, particularly those made of metals. That practice 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.480 is not a crime and usually not a forgery. It's 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:41.720 technically just considered a repair, but it becomes problematic if 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:45.800 the piece is worked too far. Becoming unrecognizable from its 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:49.480 original state can turn an authentic work into a counterfeit 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:55.280 of itself. It's also problematic when deceptive descriptions, provenance, and 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:59.680 pedigrees get attached to those objects. Spitzer catered to the 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:04.000 type of person who could and would overlook some squishy 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:07.280 details to have an object they considered worthy of their 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:08.320 place in society. 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.239 Paula Cordera, a fellow at the Center for the History 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.720 of Collecting at the Frick, said of Spitzer quote he 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:19.240 was really able to capitalize on the growing demand for 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:23.920 decorative art among a growing bourgeois class. She continued that 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.040 much of Spitzer's success came at least in part from 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:30.720 his ability to be one step ahead of trends. He 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.599 was known to purchase works when they were out of vogue, 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.040 only to later sell them at a markup when they 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:39.800 were in demand. According to Cordera, it wasn't until more 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:43.160 than a decade after his death the curators began to 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:45.240 really take a look at some of the works from 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:49.880 Spitzer's collection, and with time and research, they discerned that 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:54.520 some were heavily restored to a point that threatened their authenticity. 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:59.600 The controversy, though, really grew legs in nineteen seventy eight, 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.960 when more than one thousand drawings by vasters were rediscovered 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.800 in the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:11.200 VNA had acquired a library of his drawings, prints and 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:15.400 lithographs in nineteen nineteen, a decade after the goldsmith's death, 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.200 but they'd been in storage and out of sight. The 0:09:18.320 --> 0:09:22.319 drawings appeared to be renderings of known Renaissance objects, including 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:28.240 many pieces of jewelry. However, upon examination by VNA curator 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:33.439 Charles Truman, notations found on the drawings in Master's handwriting 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:38.320 include very specific details such as which colors should be 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:43.600 used when enameling specific objects, and how these were drawings 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:48.559 that actually made one's heart sink because they were production drawings, 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:52.839 and they included precise instructions to other smiths on how 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:58.920 to craft certain existing Medieval and Renaissance objects, probably all 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:03.120 for Spitzer, and probably all sold as genuine. Each of 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:07.320 the thousand plus documents depicted a different piece. Most drawings 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:10.480 corresponded to known Renaissance objects in a number of well 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:14.800 known collections, and the revelation suddenly cast doubts on the 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:20.640 authenticity of many pieces. Equally revealing were associated documents that 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:26.400 showed other goldsmith's hate executed many pieces to Vaster's designs. 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:31.000 With this finding, experts now were suspicious of pretty much 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:35.240 every single object for which there was a corresponding Master's drawing. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:39.240 In fact, even regarding Renaissance objects for which there were 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:43.800 no corresponding drawings, they were still suspicious. After all, what 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:47.280 if there were more drawings like this still to be found. 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:51.760 The documents confirmed that there was a forger, and also 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.959 opened up the idea that there was likely more than 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:59.640 one forger, with works hidden in many collections. And that 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:04.320 was true true. Spitzer alone had several forgers working for him, 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:08.520 including Masters, of course, but also Alfred Andre, a highly 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:13.280 regarded nineteenth century Parisian restorer. Andrea was Chevalier of the 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:17.199 Legion of Honor and widely respected for his legitimate metalwork, 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.720 but it also became clear to modern historians that he 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:24.280 was one of the goldsmiths who had executed many pieces 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:26.280 to Vaster's designs. 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.920 Building on the work Truman did at the VNA, scholar 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:33.719 Rudolph Distelberger of the Museum of Art History in Vienna 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:38.080 began his own detective work in nineteen eighty three. At first, 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:43.079 though in his investigation, it was Alfred Andre's forged Renaissance works, 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:46.480 not Masters, that came to light. So let's talk about 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.240 him for a moment. We know he was also connected 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:52.439 to Spitzer. His forgeries, it was discovered, had deceived the 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:56.960 National Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, 0:11:57.160 --> 0:12:01.280 the Victoria and Albert, and the Walters Art in Baltimore. 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:06.000 Through Spitzer. He was another craftsman hired to restore and 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:12.000 repair or aka make counterfeits. Distelberger concluded that quote in 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:16.600 order to enlarge his collection, Spitzer apparently commissioned Andre and 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:20.280 Maasters to produce objects in the style of the Renaissance, 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:23.040 then presented them in his collection as originals of the 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:28.199 sixteenth century. He played an inglorious role in this deception. 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:33.880 Like the Masters drawings. Years later, Distelberger found physical evidence 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:38.600 of Andre's forgeries. Andre's family had kept many of the 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:42.440 models and casts that he had created, many of which 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:46.640 were used to recreate Renaissance objects and collections around the world. 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:49.800 We are going to take a break for word from 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.600 our sponsors, and when we're back we'll talk about the 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.520 fallout from the discovery of the forgery ring. 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:13.520 Welcome back to Criminalia. Let's talk about what happened after 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:17.160 the discovery of the blueprints and that the Rospiliosi Cup, 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.600 a popular and treasured item, was fake. 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:26.320 Philippe de Montebello, Museum director at the Metropolitan Museum of 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:29.880 Art at that time, initially stated that they believe the 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:35.040 drawings quote might be marvelous chronicles of old pieces, but 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.520 we now know they are not. They contained too many 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:42.200 instructions on how to make them. They were blueprints. We're 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:45.240 not sure why he kept them, but they're remarkable drawings, 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:49.720 and even forgers have pride. As an institution, the MET 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:54.000 was anxious and started to withdraw certain pieces from exhibition, 0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:58.480 announcing that quote, we have been gradually removing things from 0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:01.480 view for examination because we did not want to keep 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:04.079 on view anything that might be doubtful. 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:09.760 By nineteen eighty four, the forgeries made worldwide headlines when 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:13.600 the MET held a news conference to announce that Reinholdmasters, 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:18.640 a goldsmith and restorer, had been more than a restorer. 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:22.080 They stated it had been concluded from his drawings that 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:27.360 many of the alleged antique objects in institutions around the world, 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:30.360 including the Met, had in fact been made in his 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:34.200 shop in Germany in the late eighteen hundreds, and that 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:39.600 included the Rospiliosi Cup exhibited at the Met. The Respiliosi 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.840 cup was considered a treasure and had long been attributed 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:47.400 to the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor benven Nutuccellini. In a 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:50.800 brochure in eighteen fifty two, it was described as a 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.480 salt vessel of gold enameled in different colors from the 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:57.800 years fifteen forty to seventy, said to be made by 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:02.280 benven Uttuccillini, the property of Prince Ris Bolioso of Rome. 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:06.800 Art historian Eugene plom named the prince as the owner, 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:10.800 but also admitted that there were no documents authenticating the 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:15.960 attribution to Cellini. He claimed it had belonged to his ancestor, 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.200 Grand Master of the Court, to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:23.240 But then nothing more was heard of that object until 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.080 nineteen oh nine, when it was sold by art dealer 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:30.360 Charles Wurthheimer to Benjamin Altman, who then bequeathed it to 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:30.800 the Met. 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:36.680 Upon close examination an inspection of the Rospiliosi Cup and 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:42.000 many other works, some objects were clearly made entirely from 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:46.040 Vastar's Renaissance style blueprints, including a rock crystal vase mounted 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.560 in gold and a rock crystal candlestick mounted in silver guilt. 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:55.120 Other objects were determined to be partly of authentic Renaissance derivation. 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:59.480 For instance, fragments of earlier works were remounted and reworked 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:05.840 by vast To, creating new, similar but forged work. And 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.560 then some works, including a pendant with a figure of 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:11.400 Neptune enameled in gold and set in jewels and pearls, 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:15.360 aren't precise copies of Master's designs, but they are so 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.960 similar that scholars believe they can safely attribute them to 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:22.200 other craftsmen working from his instructions. 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:26.840 Of the VNA's blueprints. Demonte Bello has also stated, quote, 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:32.120 most likely every major repository of Renaissance jewelry, metalwork, and 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:35.720 mounted crystals will find that a disturbing proportion of their 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:40.880 holdings date from the nineteenth century. This is irrefutable because 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:46.080 we have the actual drawings created by the maker. He continued, quote, 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:49.320 he captured the style of the Renaissance so well that 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:52.200 even today, if you were to put side by side 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:55.680 two pieces, one by Masters and one from the Renaissance, 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.320 very few curators could tell by eye alone. He was 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:04.160 that good, which is why all the collections were fooled. 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:07.600 Despite the fact that the works do not actually date 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:12.000 from the Renaissance. They do still yes, have value among 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.160 many circles. De Montebello has stated, quote in their own right, 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.320 while they were made to deceive, these works are of 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:23.679 enormous quality and great beauty, and they are important historically. 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:26.880 We intend to mount an exhibition in which we will 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:31.080 carefully explain the master's works, comparing them with authentic pieces 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:34.399 and showing the difference between the two. And it's true 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:37.440 the museum doesn't hide them today, though they do now 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:40.000 attribute these works to masters. 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:44.760 Of masters well. He purchased a house in Acham in 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:47.760 eighteen seventy two, and he lived there until his death 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:51.760 in nineteen oh nine. By his later years, Vasters had 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:54.680 become a man of means, and he became a collector 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:59.040 of decorative arts himself. In nineteen oh two, he exhibited 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:03.960 almost five hundred objects from his growing collection. His final 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:07.040 year as an active goldsmith appears to coincide with the 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:11.440 year of Spitzer's death, eighteen ninety and according to city records, 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.520 he was officially registered as retired in eighteen ninety. 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:21.520 Five, and Spitzer a short entry in the Collector Journal 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:26.040 published in eighteen ninety reads quote, the Spitzer collection has 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.879 in the estimation of connoisseurs and amateurs. At least long 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:34.280 Ben the Eighth Wonder of the World now and then 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:36.800 its possessor has allowed glimpses of it to be seen 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.760 in exhibitions, but as a rule it has been locked 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:43.240 and barred against vulgar and elect eyes in his roomy mansion, 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:48.280 which it stuffs like sausage from cellar to roof. Before 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:52.399 his death, Spitzer collaborated with art historian Emil Moligner on 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:57.680 a multi volume illustrated catalog of his private collection. Only 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:00.560 one volume was published before he died, but he left 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:05.240 detailed instructions for its completion in his will. The Spitzer collection, 0:19:05.440 --> 0:19:09.879 which contained more than four thousand items, was publicly auctioned 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:12.440 over the span of three months in eighteen ninety three. 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:16.400 Most of the collection was bought by Australian born London 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:21.000 based private collector George Salting. He bequeathed his collection to 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:24.440 the British Museum, the National Gallery in London, and the 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:29.360 Victoria and Albert Museum in nineteen oh nine. Spitzer's collection 0:19:29.560 --> 0:19:32.000 was revered, but what no one knew when it was 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:35.520 auctioned was that some things were authentic, but some were not. 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:40.920 Like Vaster's, Spitzer's duplicity wasn't known during his lifetime. 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:45.399 When it comes to Spitzer and his forgers, According to 0:19:45.560 --> 0:19:49.879 online art brokerage Artsy quote, at the very least, Spitzer's 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:53.840 story serves as a cautionary tale. When one encounters a 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.359 collection of work so numerous they stuff a house like 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.639 a sausage, one should always inquire a about how they 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:11.120 were made. Indeed, listen, I like sausage. Who doesn't? Would 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:13.800 you like a bogus bevy? As we consider how many 0:20:13.920 --> 0:20:18.840 things sitting in collections are probably fake because of this man, Yes, okay, 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.360 this one was one of those things. Where as we 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:26.920 were looking at this, I kept thinking not about anything 0:20:27.040 --> 0:20:30.679 related to the time that the forgeries were made or 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:36.159 the period of time that they were forging, but instead 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:41.879 that magical time when all of this was exposed. The 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:45.520 early eighties were a real fun time for cocktails. There's 0:20:45.600 --> 0:20:48.720 a lot of experimentation going on, and it is when 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:54.600 most people will say that a very popular cocktail today 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:58.360 was invented, and that is what we are going to make, 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:01.119 a forgery of espresso martini. 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.240 Do you know my history with the espresso martini? Have 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:07.239 I ever told you, I don't. I really want to 0:21:07.480 --> 0:21:10.480 like the espresso martini, and I also it's a similar 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:13.120 thing for me, like chocolate martini. I very much want 0:21:13.119 --> 0:21:18.000 to like something like that too, and I try. I 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:21.360 at some point in the last let's go with decade 0:21:21.400 --> 0:21:25.040 to fifteen years, decided I will always try it because 0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:27.160 there's going to be one out there that I like, 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:28.840 but I haven't yet. 0:21:29.320 --> 0:21:31.000 I mean, the good news is there are now a 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:34.960 lot of versions. But the original was really just espresso, 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:38.040 coffee liqueur and vodka. It was very simple, and that 0:21:38.200 --> 0:21:41.960 was created by Dick Bradsell in the UK right around 0:21:42.000 --> 0:21:45.480 nineteen eighty allegedly for a model who said that she 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:48.240 wanted to get woken up and messed up at the 0:21:48.240 --> 0:21:50.560 same time. But that is not what we're making today. 0:21:50.560 --> 0:21:53.680 We're making something that looks like it right, but also 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:57.600 has only three ingredients and also will we'll mess you 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:01.200 up for sure, So let's do it. And it's very yummy. 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:04.400 It's very easy to make. You're going to take an 0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:10.000 ounce of cognac and an ounce of dark spiced rum 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.080 and put those together in your shaking tin and shake 0:22:13.119 --> 0:22:16.800 them with ice until they are just frosty cold and 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:19.600 You're going to strain that into a martini glass with 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:23.560 a few ice shards are green in there. Get ready 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:25.600 because this is going to sound crazy, but I'm telling 0:22:25.640 --> 0:22:29.520 you something great happens here. You're going to top it 0:22:30.320 --> 0:22:34.000 with an ounce to two ounces, depending on your taste 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:37.120 of root beer. If you really want to sell the illusion, 0:22:37.160 --> 0:22:40.000 you could put a couple of espresso beans on top. 0:22:40.160 --> 0:22:42.480 But it looks like an espresso martini, but it could 0:22:42.520 --> 0:22:45.800 not taste more different. But it is very spirit forward 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:50.000 because unlike our recent cocktail that included cream soda, where 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:53.720 the taste of the spirit in it was obscured, this 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:55.879 does not. You can still tell there's a lot of 0:22:55.880 --> 0:22:57.959 alcohol in it, like at this point it's two thirds 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:03.520 roughly of spirit, so it's very present. It is a 0:23:03.520 --> 0:23:06.840 weird flavor. I'm not gonna lie. It's unexpected and it's strange. 0:23:06.880 --> 0:23:10.480 But I loved it and found myself like I didn't 0:23:10.520 --> 0:23:13.399 even consciously do so. Often when I'm making drinks for 0:23:13.440 --> 0:23:16.040 the show, I'm doing it early in the day because 0:23:16.080 --> 0:23:18.959 we record in the afternoon, and I usually don't finish 0:23:18.960 --> 0:23:22.040 the drink. I'll either give it to my beloved or 0:23:22.200 --> 0:23:24.320 I will put it away or I'll just toss it 0:23:24.320 --> 0:23:27.840 it happens. I realized after a while that I had 0:23:27.880 --> 0:23:29.920 just been carrying it around sipping it. I was like, oh, 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:32.159 I clearly like this drink, which I am calling the 0:23:32.240 --> 0:23:35.680 slap in the face, because discovering all of these technical 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:39.280 drawings that were basically a manual to how to forge 0:23:39.520 --> 0:23:42.560 Renaissance art had to have felt like a slap in 0:23:42.560 --> 0:23:47.040 the face to the entire art community. That's not a 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:49.680 great feeling to be, like, how many of our things 0:23:49.680 --> 0:23:50.480 are probably fake? 0:23:50.560 --> 0:23:53.040 Sorry? How many documents did you say there were? 0:23:53.280 --> 0:23:57.560 Yes, this one is another one that is a little 0:23:57.600 --> 0:24:01.840 bit tricky to do. A mocktail. I will tell you 0:24:01.880 --> 0:24:05.320 the mocktail does not look as much like an espresso martini, 0:24:05.480 --> 0:24:07.960 but it gets closer to the flavor of the original drink. 0:24:08.520 --> 0:24:10.879 Instead of that ounce of cogniac, you are going to 0:24:10.960 --> 0:24:14.440 take an ounce of white grape juice and doctor it up. 0:24:14.880 --> 0:24:16.679 I would let a little bit of clove sit in 0:24:16.720 --> 0:24:19.439 there for a little while, and I would throw in 0:24:19.480 --> 0:24:21.640 some nutmeg, and you're just gonna let that do its 0:24:21.720 --> 0:24:24.040 thing for I don't know, ten minutes or so, and 0:24:24.119 --> 0:24:25.840 then give it a little shake and then strain that 0:24:25.880 --> 0:24:28.240 off because you don't want that stuff in there. Dark 0:24:28.280 --> 0:24:30.639 spiced drum, we're going to do our trick of a 0:24:31.440 --> 0:24:34.560 dark tea. I would actually do a red tea here 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:38.280 and not a black tea. And again, if you really 0:24:38.400 --> 0:24:41.040 like spice, you can add something like a cardamom and 0:24:41.080 --> 0:24:42.639 it's going to do something really good. And then you 0:24:42.760 --> 0:24:45.320 use your root beer and this makes also a very 0:24:45.400 --> 0:24:48.320 very yummy especially when it's very cold. Something really cool 0:24:48.359 --> 0:24:51.399 happens with these three things, and they're like, hi, we 0:24:51.440 --> 0:24:55.280 would like to play today. It's sweeter than the alcoholic version. 0:24:55.840 --> 0:24:57.560 So you could put it over ice if you want 0:24:57.600 --> 0:24:59.560 to dilute it a little bit down instead of making 0:24:59.560 --> 0:25:01.600 it look like a martini. But you're gonna be happy 0:25:01.640 --> 0:25:03.440 and you won't feel like you got slapped in the face. 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:05.800 You could just do root beer and rum. If you 0:25:05.800 --> 0:25:11.000 don't like the kgnac note, I love a little cognac. 0:25:11.560 --> 0:25:13.760 I probably made this because I was thinking of kognak 0:25:13.800 --> 0:25:16.880 recently and thinking a konnak in a minute. I really 0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:19.479 love a little cognac in that you think, why am 0:25:19.480 --> 0:25:22.520 I not doing that? Now? We are. We hope that 0:25:22.560 --> 0:25:25.040 if you make this you find it fun and interesting 0:25:25.080 --> 0:25:27.040 and If you don't like it that you tweak it 0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:30.040 to make it super delicious for your palette. We will 0:25:30.040 --> 0:25:32.640 be right back here again next week with more stories 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:45.399 of forgeries and more bogus bevies. Criminalia is a production 0:25:45.480 --> 0:25:49.760 of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:54.120 from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 0:25:54.240 --> 0:25:56.200 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.