1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:06,559 Speaker 1: Welcome to Criminalia, a production of shondaland Audio in partnership 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: with iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 2: Fool me once, Shame on you, Fool me twice, shame 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 2: on me, fool me three times well. In nineteen fifteen, 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 2: Manhattan's Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired its first of three 6 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: Etruscan statues, called the Old Warrior. The next year they 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 2: purchased a second piece. This one was called the Colossal Head, 8 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: which experts decided during our evaluation was part of a 9 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 2: twenty three foot tall warrior statue. In nineteen twenty one, 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 2: the museum purchased a third work, called the Big Warrior. 11 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: The statues eventually became known as the Etruscan terra Cotta Warriors. 12 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 2: And considering what season were in, this is no spoiler. 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 2: They were total fakes, and for three decades the met 14 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: displayed what they thought were prized pieces from the Etruscan civilization, 15 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 2: which flourished during the Iron Age in what is now 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 2: central Italy. Let's talk about those Terracotta warriors and how 17 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: it took decades to figure out their truth. Welcome to Criminalia, 18 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 2: I'm Maria Tremarchy. 19 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: And I'm Holly Frye. In nineteen thirty three, three large 20 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: Etruscan warrior sculptures made of terra cotta clay towered over 21 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: visitors at a brand new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum 22 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: of Art in New York City. The Etruscan civilization, which 23 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: existed before the Romans, was a superpower of the Western Mediterranean, 24 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: but it's a civilization that scholars knew and know little about. 25 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: Though they did leave archaeological and genetic proof of their existence, 26 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: the Etruscans left no written history, at least none that 27 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: has been discovered. Which had never been seen or heard 28 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: of before, were believed to be from the fifth century BCE. 29 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: Two warriors stood tall. The old warrior was six feet 30 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: and the big warrior was eight feet in stature. The 31 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: colossal head, complete with a big curly beard, measured roughly 32 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: four feet tall and looked out from under a war helmet. 33 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: The whole trouble began when renowned met curator Gizella Richter, 34 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 2: who had forty years of experience on Greek and Roman antiquities, 35 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: received a letter from a man named John Marshall, a 36 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 2: veteran purchasing agent working in Italy for the museum. Marshall 37 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 2: described to her a newly discovered life sized Etruscan terra 38 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: cotta warrior figure that had been found in an Italian field. Yep, 39 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 2: we are talking about the Old Warrior here. His initial 40 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: disclosure was quickly followed by another amazing find from that 41 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 2: same field, a four foot tall terra cotta warrior's head. 42 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 2: He alluded to the fact there could still be more 43 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: and greater treasure to be found at that location, and 44 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,679 Speaker 2: you can bet she was interested. 45 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: That first find. The Old Warrior is believed to have 46 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: been the first monumental sculpture produced by a man named 47 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: Pio Riccardi and his associates. Riccardi, together with two of 48 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: his cousins, Teodoro and Virgilio, and a colleague named Alfredo Fioravanti, 49 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: were the forgers behind the piece. They actually forged a 50 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: lot of things, and these three warriors that ended up 51 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: at the met were just one of their projects. This project, though, 52 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: was not an easy one. At first. They ran into 53 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: the simple question of what the heck did an Etruscan 54 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: warrior even look like. Without that knowledge, they decided to 55 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: base the likeness of their Old Warrior on a known 56 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: work believed to be of Etruscan origin. The reclining male 57 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: figure on the Sir Vitari Sarcophagus, also known as the 58 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: Sarcophagus of the Spouses, part of the Castellani collection at 59 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: the British Museum. 60 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: The men researched and argued about their works as they 61 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 2: created them. For instance, on the Old Warrior, the placement 62 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 2: of the right arm was problematic. They thought the warrior 63 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 2: should pull the shield, but adding a shield added too 64 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 2: much weight for the arm to remain supported, so they 65 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 2: took an easy way out. They just didn't include the arm. 66 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: For the style of the colossal head, they looked at 67 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 1: what historian Pliny the Elder chronicle Whiney was, as you 68 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: may know, a bit of a lot of things, a naturalist, 69 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: a philosopher, writer, and military commander of the early Roman Empire. 70 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: His thirty seven volume work Natural History is considered one 71 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: of the world's earliest encyclopedias. In natural history, he describes 72 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: how an Etruscan sculptor named Voca had been asked to 73 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: create statues of the Roman gods Jupiter and Hercules, and 74 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: that each of those statues stood as great as twenty 75 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:10,359 Speaker 1: five feet high. So just to be clear here, yes, 76 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: the Etruscan civilization predated the Roman Empire, but there was overlap. 77 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: Modern historians believe the Etruscans were absorbed into the Roman civilization, 78 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: and you can see they had influence on the Romans, 79 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,919 Speaker 1: including in their arts. Both Riccardi and Fioravanti felt this 80 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: second Warrior should be large, but to try to fake 81 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: a piece on that scale was beyond their capabilities. Instead, 82 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: they decided to make a four foot tall head that 83 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 1: implied a twenty five foot tall body. As their inspiration. 84 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,239 Speaker 1: For the warrior's face, they used a two dimensional figure 85 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 1: that was painted on a small Greek vase. Ironically, that 86 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: small terra cotta vase was owned and displayed by the 87 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: met when the three Forged Warriors were exhibited. 88 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 2: There, and when it came to create the third Warrior, 89 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,119 Speaker 2: they relied on a picture of a small brownze Greek 90 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 2: statue found in a book from the Berlin Museum. One 91 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: big problem they ran into here, though, was that the 92 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 2: large scale of the piece proved difficult. Remember the colossal 93 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:19,040 Speaker 2: warrior stands eight feet tall. 94 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: With the styles of the pieces chosen, there was then 95 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: the matter of materials used. Keep in mind, before there 96 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: were art forensics experts, you might visually notice stylistic elements 97 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: were incorrect, but materials could pretty often be faked. The 98 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: mixture for their models consisted of fine grain clay, sand 99 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,479 Speaker 1: and a grog, and in this case we mean the 100 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: crushed fired clay that's added to rocklay, not the drink grog. 101 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: Their grog was made from broken pieces of old pottery, 102 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: which gave porosity to the mixture. That's important because it 103 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: prevents your pottery from contracting or losing moisture during the 104 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: clay firing process. Without some planning ahead, pottery after it's 105 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: fired could contract as much as thirty three percent, according 106 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: to Time magazine's coverage of the exposure of these forgeries. 107 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: After each work was sculpted, the forgers broke each one 108 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: into pieces before putting them through the firing process, and 109 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: that was just because they didn't have kilns big enough 110 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: to handle the large requirements. 111 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 2: As each was completed, Marshall bought the works on behalf 112 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 2: of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, packed each fake Warriors 113 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 2: fragments into crates, and sent those pieces to New York, 114 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 2: where they were to be assembled. In regard to the 115 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 2: Old Warrior. The first purchase Gizella Richter messaged to Marshal 116 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 2: that quote, the Etruscan terra cotta has arrived safely and 117 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 2: is at present being put together. I think it is 118 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 2: quite exciting and will be one of the most dramatic 119 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 2: things in the museum. How beautifully the painted patterns are preserved. 120 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: Do you know anything about the provenance? Marshall replied succinctly, 121 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: asking her to delay the announcement of the acquisition. So 122 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 2: why would he do that? Marshall knew that announcing the 123 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 2: METS purchase of the Old Warrior could trigger his competitors 124 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 2: to take a closer look into the Etruscan artifact, and 125 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 2: he wanted to avoid gossip about it and its origins. 126 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 2: No shady art dealer wants that. We're not saying Marshall 127 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 2: was in on the whole thing, but history can't say 128 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 2: he wasn't. And as to why Richter wasn't suspicious, we 129 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 2: can't answer that question either. 130 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: Marshall's hints of things to come did come to pass. 131 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: Marshall telegraphed Richter after seeing the colossal heads, saying quote, 132 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: I can find nothing approaching it in importance. Very quickly 133 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: after the acquisition of the Old Warrior on July twenty fifth, 134 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen, four crates containing one hundred and seventy eight 135 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: fragments of the Colossal Head arrived on the New York City. 136 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: This meant the shipment sailed during the First World War, 137 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: when German U boats were really taking a toll on 138 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: Transatlantic merchantmen. Other dealers at the time wondered why Marshall 139 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: would ship an allegedly irreplaceable treasure when there may not 140 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: have been safe passage across the Atlantic Ocean. But he 141 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: did it, and they did arrive just fine. 142 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 2: In her excitement about the arrival of the final piece, 143 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 2: the Big Warrior, Richter, now remember she was a renowned 144 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 2: authority on ancient sculpture, wrote quote, we have here a 145 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 2: representation of a god of war, and undoubtedly the most 146 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 2: imposing conception of such a deity which has survived from antiquity. 147 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 2: But in reality, the Big Warrior was visibly oddly proportioned, 148 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 2: with one long arm and a frame that sat on 149 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 2: classically formed legs, which was not stylistically accurate. It would 150 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 2: later be determined some of the strangeness of the Big 151 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 2: Warrior was actually a result of the forgers working in 152 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 2: a small studio with a short ceiling, which is maybe 153 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 2: not the best place to create an eight foot tall statue. 154 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: We're going to take a break for a word from 155 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: our sponsor, and when we return, we'll talk about how 156 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: in the world a veteran curator of ancient art could 157 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: be duped as easily as Gisella Richter. 158 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 2: Was welcome back to Criminalia. Were these warriors, gods or mortals? 159 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 2: While Richter pondered such questions, she overlooked some red flags. 160 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 2: Let's talk about why it took so long to out 161 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 2: these fakes. 162 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: So how could someone like Ghazella Richter not recognize these 163 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 1: forgeries or at least see some of the red flags. 164 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: Historians suggest that it was likely all in her excitement 165 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: about the find. She noted in her museum publications that 166 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: ancient Latin writers had mentioned Etruscan sculptures quote in terms 167 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: of wonder and admiration. In nineteen twenty one, the year 168 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: the Big Warrior arrived at the met Richtor wrote in 169 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: the museum's publication papers on the Etruscan Warriors that the 170 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: statues were quote under Greek influence, but Italian in nature, 171 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: and she wondered, in her writing, quote, whom did our 172 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: warrior represent was he a god or a mortal? The 173 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: statue was unusual in both size and in esthetic. In 174 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: addition to the long arm and the classically styled legs 175 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier, the shapes of the eyes and general 176 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: features were off. But Richtor believed the statues lived up 177 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: to the descriptions of wonder that she had read about 178 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: Etruscan art. Plus, they had been found and sent by 179 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: a trusted intermediary of the museum, John Marshall. Thomas Hoving, 180 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,680 Speaker 1: who served as director of the met from nineteen sixty 181 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: seven to nineteen seventy seven, wrote a Richter in his 182 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: book False Impressions, The Hunt for Big Time Art Fakes 183 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 1: that quote. One presumes she was taken in by the 184 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: suave John Marshall and then allowed curatorial greed to take 185 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: over pride, no doubt had something to do with her 186 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: eagerness to acquire these largest ever discovered Etruscan sculptures. 187 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 2: The three statues were mostly convincing to the eye, especially 188 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 2: an untrained eye. They were weathered, they were cracked. The 189 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 2: Old Warriors statue was missing both a thumb and an arm, 190 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 2: and their striking black glazes seemed just like those on 191 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 2: other ancient works. It wasn't like no one analyzed these warriors. Though, 192 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 2: a noted ceramics expert at the time time the works 193 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 2: were acquired, Charles Bins, evaluated each piece. Bins concluded that 194 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 2: the glaze that covered them was the very same black 195 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 2: glaze you'd find on ancient Greek pottery. This glazing technique 196 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 2: involved the work to be covered in a clay slip 197 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 2: that turned a glossy black during the firing process. Interestingly, 198 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 2: regarding his analysis, the process for making the glaze was 199 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 2: lost during the Roman Empire and had not been rediscovered 200 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 2: until nineteen forty two, roughly twenty years after the Met 201 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 2: acquired their final warrior. How could they then be modern forgeries? 202 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 2: The museum considered if no one at the time knew 203 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 2: how to make such a glaze, it factored into their 204 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 2: conclusion that the sculptures were authentic. 205 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 1: Not everyone, though, was celebrating this Etruscan art discovery. In 206 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty three, the same year the three warriors went 207 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: on display, a bulletin published by the Met stated that 208 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: the statues had been quote compared with vigor, but there 209 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: were doubters. It was in nineteen thirty six when art 210 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: dealer Pietro Tozzi wrote to Richter saying that he had 211 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: heard gossip around Rome that the Etruscan warriors in her 212 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: museum's possession were not genuine, and to back up his claim, 213 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: he shared names of the likely forgers behind them, Ricardi 214 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: and Fioravanti. Marshall, who had acquired them, was the obvious 215 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: choice to turn to about this matter, but he had 216 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: passed away in nineteen twenty eight. Instead, Richter penned a 217 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: note to a woman named Annie Revere, who had been 218 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: Marshall's personal assistant and general right hand woman for years, saying, quote, 219 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: I don't propose to pay any attention to it except 220 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: to ask you to find out who this Fioravanti is 221 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: and what kind of things he makes. So Revere looked 222 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: into it, and she found that he was a man 223 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: who did a lot of things. He had been at 224 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: times a tailor, a dealer in old furniture, and that 225 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: quote he has been for many years and still was 226 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: a taxi driver in Rome. But Totsi's information was good. 227 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: Fioravanti also dabbled in forgery. Richter, for unknown reasons, never 228 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: followed up on this information. 229 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 2: A few months after Richter and Binn's nineteen thirty seven 230 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 2: publication entitled Etruscan Terracotta Warriors in the Mma was published. 231 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 2: An Italian archaeologist named Massimo Palatino, based in Rome, wrote 232 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 2: an article for Archaeological Classica in which he quote dismissed 233 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 2: all three sculptors in a masterly manner as forgeries. 234 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: With doubts increasing, Richter attempted again to find out more 235 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: about the source of the Terra cottas, In this time 236 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: Amadeo Riccardi, a son or perhaps a brother of one 237 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: of the forgers, was tracked down in Rome and asked 238 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: to assist the museum in its authenticity investigation, but when 239 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 1: asked about any specific details, he claimed he quote could 240 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: not remember anything definite. He did, however, reportedly draw a 241 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: map of a place that he called Boca Porca, the 242 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: alleged location where the Terra Cottas were uncovered, but he 243 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 1: strongly recommended against traveling there, stressing quote the difficulties. The 244 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: roads were bad, the locality could not be reached by 245 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: a car or looking at it another way, since Boca 246 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: Porca was a fake place he made up, it couldn't 247 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: be reached at all. He told Richtor that the person 248 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: who discovered the site was a man named Campanella, but 249 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: that he had died several years earlier. Campanella, however, like 250 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: Boca Porka, was not real. Richter insisted Amadeo take her 251 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: to quote the exact spot where he was told the 252 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: figures were found, but unfortunately for her, Amadeo told her 253 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: that a fountain had been built on the site. Amadeo 254 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: and Richter were in contact for a while, but historians 255 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: believe that he was likely diverting her from the truth. 256 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: Met curator Dietrich von Boehtmayer later stated that much, if 257 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 1: not all, of Amadeo's act was a charade, and that 258 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,159 Speaker 1: also quote, with attacks of influenza, the spring plowing, and 259 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: the fields under cultivation, he was not able to help. 260 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 2: We're going to take a break for a word from 261 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 2: our sponsor. When we're back, we're going to meet a 262 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,199 Speaker 2: man named Harold Parsons who was critical in exposing the 263 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 2: truth behind the forgeries. 264 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Criminalia. Okay, here's where it all unravels. 265 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: Let's talk about gossip testing and how three statues were 266 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: sent to the basement of the met. 267 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,440 Speaker 2: A man named Harold Woodbury Parsons was an art historian 268 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 2: who purchased antiquities for American museums in the mid twentieth century, 269 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 2: and Parsons expressed reservations about the Warriors as far back 270 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 2: as the early nineteen forties. During the nineteen fifties, several 271 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:22,919 Speaker 2: other scholars challenged the authenticity as well, but it was 272 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 2: Parsons who dug in and began his own investigation in 273 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty nine. After studying science at Harvard University, Parsons 274 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 2: turned to art and spent most of his life buying 275 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 2: European art from museums in the United States. When it 276 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 2: came to the three pieces at the met he was 277 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 2: quoted saying, I was always suspicious of them stylistically, I 278 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 2: sensed something wrong. While in retirement in Rome, he began 279 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,959 Speaker 2: talking to art dealers around the city and has been 280 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 2: quoted saying pretty much what we similarly heard from John 281 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 2: Marshall and Pietro Tazzi years earlier, there are no secrets 282 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 2: in Rome, the most gossipy city in the world. In 283 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 2: that gossip, he recalled in an interview with Time magazine 284 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 2: that he kept hearing one name again and again, Alfredo Fioravanti, Fioravanti, 285 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 2: he discovered, was a repair man who specialized in antiques 286 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 2: and jewelry. 287 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: Curious about him. 288 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 2: Parsons got to know him. 289 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: And that's really all it took. Eventually, during what he 290 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: thought was their blossoming friendship, Fioravanti shared the story of 291 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: the Etruscan Warrior forgery with Parsons. He spoke about how 292 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: he'd met Riccardi, who specialized in repairing ancient pottery for 293 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: Italian antique dealers. Fioravanti, who was a tailor at the 294 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: time the two met, switched careers to work in Riccardi's shop. 295 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: One day, at work, the men caught an idea. If 296 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:55,640 Speaker 1: they could repair ancient works of art, what was stopping 297 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,400 Speaker 1: them from creating fake works of art? And their new 298 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:00,359 Speaker 1: career took ou off. 299 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 2: In January of nineteen sixty one, Parsons, believing he had 300 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 2: enough information on the scam, took the confessed forger to 301 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 2: the United States Consulate in Rome, where Fioravanti then made 302 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 2: a signed confession about the forgeries. Next, Parsons sent a 303 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,679 Speaker 2: letter to officials at the MET. The met Actually, it 304 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:26,439 Speaker 2: turns out, wasn't really all that surprise to hear this 305 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 2: bad news, and that's because its own ceramics expert, Joseph Noble, 306 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 2: had recently tested the sculptures by replicating methods that the 307 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 2: ancient Etruscans would have used for making pottery, and he 308 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 2: found that things didn't really add up. But keep his 309 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 2: name in your pocket, because we're going to talk about 310 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 2: his discoveries in just a minute. 311 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: On January twelfth, nineteen sixty one, met Museum director James 312 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: Romer received parsons correspondence from Rome, together with the translation 313 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: of the deposition that had been and signed by Alfredo 314 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 1: Fioravanti before the American consul in Rome one week prior 315 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: Roorimer immediately sent museum curator von Boudmayer to Rome. There 316 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: on behalf of the met He confronted Fioravanti in Harold 317 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: Parson's apartment. Von Boudmayer, according to a report of the 318 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: meeting published in Time magazine at the time, produced a 319 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,160 Speaker 1: plaster cast of the single hand of the Old Warrior, 320 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: that hand that had a thumb missing. Fioravanti in turn 321 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: produced a thumb made of the same baked material as 322 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,119 Speaker 1: the sculptures, a piece that he said he had kept 323 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 1: for years and you can guess what happened next That 324 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,480 Speaker 1: thumb and hand fit together perfectly. He went on to 325 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: state that he had mixed the coloring agents used on 326 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 1: the statues, and he also told the men that while 327 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,760 Speaker 1: the dealer got at least forty thousand dollars for the 328 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: sale of the Old Warrior, he personally only saw a 329 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: few hundred. Totally not bitter about it. 330 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 2: Having learned that Fioravanti and the Riccardis were the forgers 331 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 2: of the Etruscan Warriors, Met officials then looked for the 332 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 2: official seller of the art. An Italian art dealer named 333 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 2: Pietro Stettner had sold at the very least the Old 334 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:22,600 Speaker 2: Warrior and the Colossal Head to John Marshall. Looking into 335 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 2: him and the nature of his dealings, Richter wrote, quote, 336 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 2: I learned Stettner was a high official in the Post 337 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 2: Office and a collector, not a forger. So that is that. 338 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 2: But Richter hadn't really cracked the case here. Former Met 339 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 2: Museum director Thomas Hoving described Stettner in one word as 340 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 2: quote crooked, and according to von Boehmer's report, Marshall had 341 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,399 Speaker 2: purchased more than a dozen objects from Stettner between nineteen 342 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 2: fourteen and nineteen twenty interesting how those years line up 343 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,879 Speaker 2: with the Etruscan statues. One of these objects was a 344 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,479 Speaker 2: life sized terra cotta statue of a woman, which was 345 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 2: bought in nineteen sixteen and then discovered to be a 346 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,600 Speaker 2: fake in nineteen twenty seven. To be clear here, that 347 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 2: was not a statue purchased by the met though the 348 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 2: timeline is in line with the statues they did buy 349 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 2: at that time, said von Boetmeer quote. The recognition that 350 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 2: an acquisition from a dealer is a forgery often leads 351 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 2: to a re examination of other objects from the same source, 352 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 2: all in an attempt to see how long the counterfeit 353 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 2: trail was and where it led. But that did not 354 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 2: happen here. No one exposed that Stettner had sold seven 355 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,959 Speaker 2: terra cotta works in nineteen fourteen alone. Hoping suggests in 356 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 2: his book that in his position, Marshall shouldn't have been 357 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:51,199 Speaker 2: fooled by these forgeries, and that his purchases suggest he 358 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 2: may have been complicit. What we know for sure is 359 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 2: that at least five of the fifteen objects Marshall bought 360 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 2: from Stettner over a short span of years were fakes. 361 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 2: So there's that question again, did he know the jury's 362 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 2: still out. 363 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:12,120 Speaker 1: On Valentine's Day of nineteen sixty one, twenty eight years 364 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 1: after they opened their Etruscan Warrior gallery, the MET issued 365 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: a press release about their prized pieces. In it, they 366 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: admitted that as a result of a recently completed series 367 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: of modern scientific and technical analyzes, they had learned the 368 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: three allegedly Etruscan terra cotta statues were of doubtful authenticity. 369 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: Using new testing methods not available a few decades prior, 370 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: they now had convincing proof that the materials used to 371 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: create these statues were not available or in use in 372 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 1: ancient times. According to New York Times coverage about the 373 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: forged Warriors, the MET had been quote uneasy for years 374 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: about the origin of the large sculptures. Time magazine reported that, 375 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 1: for the first time in its history, quote, the MET 376 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:02,880 Speaker 1: had to announce that it was housing a fake. 377 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 2: Museum Director Roromer noted that these studies quote provided the 378 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 2: first technical evidence of their having been made in modern times, 379 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 2: and that this evidence was completely corroborated. On January fifth, 380 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty one, when Alfredo Fioravanti signed a sworn statement 381 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,160 Speaker 2: that he had helped make the terra cottas. What Romer 382 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 2: and other representatives for the met didn't say was that 383 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,680 Speaker 2: the discovery followed years of bungled investigation by the museum 384 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 2: in an attempt to determine whether or not the works 385 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 2: were genuine, and that the warriors, if anyone had recognized 386 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 2: just a few red flags, could have been spotted as 387 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:44,360 Speaker 2: fakes so much earlier. 388 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: So those red flags. First, they were in great condition 389 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: for pieces of broken terra cotta that had been allegedly 390 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: dug up from who knows how many years in the ground. 391 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: In fact, earlier in the episode we mentioned that Richter 392 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: had didn't question their amazing condition. Instead, she exclaimed that 393 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: they were quote still resplendent in their original colors when 394 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,919 Speaker 1: describing them in that same nineteen thirty seven museum publication, 395 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: where she also wondered if they represented deities. And additionally, 396 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: when the pieces were assembled, each sculpture had only a 397 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 1: single vent hole, which should have been another red flag. 398 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: So if you're wondering what the problem is here, Von 399 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: Bodemeyer explained in a nineteen sixty one museum report that quote, 400 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: although each of the warriors had obviously been made in 401 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 1: one piece, but it would have been technically impossible to 402 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: fire them whole. There had been no adequate provision for 403 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:46,040 Speaker 1: the circulation of air necessary during the drying and firing 404 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 1: of the clay, which in ancient terra cottas had been 405 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: assured by a proper disposition of vent holes. If you 406 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 1: were firing just fragments of a clay sculpture you'd made 407 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: and broken apart, though making sure there was vent tolls 408 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: for them wouldn't have really been an issue. 409 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 2: One giant red flag came in nineteen fifty six from 410 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 2: Joseph Noble, who we mentioned just a moment ago. Noble 411 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 2: was hired that year by Rohmer as the museum's operating administrator, 412 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:20,120 Speaker 2: a position he held until nineteen sixty seven. Noble also 413 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 2: served as chairman of the Administrative Committee and Vice director 414 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 2: of Administration, leaving the Met in nineteen seventy to become 415 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 2: director of the Museum of the City of New York. 416 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 2: While at the Met, though he was instrumental in exposing 417 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 2: the fake Etruscan statues. In fact, he was the first 418 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:42,959 Speaker 2: official at the museum to really truly look at them. 419 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: In an article published in The New York Times in 420 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,640 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine years after the forgery was finally exposed 421 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 1: by Parsons, Nobel explained how he had discovered the Etruscan 422 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: Warriors were forgeries, stating quote, one day I walked around 423 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,159 Speaker 1: to the dairy air of one of the warriors, took 424 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,719 Speaker 1: a penknife, and yes, took off a piece about the 425 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,680 Speaker 1: size of a pin. Noble, who was also an antiquities 426 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 1: collector and self trained ceramic archaeologist, recognized flaws in the statues, 427 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,679 Speaker 1: but after chemical analysis and testing, he also discovered that 428 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:21,159 Speaker 1: what Bins had thought was ancient Greek black glaze was 429 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: not so ancient. It contained a modern coloring agent called 430 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: manganese dioxide. His conclusion was that the three statues had 431 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: likely been created between nineteen fourteen and nineteen eighteen. 432 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:39,400 Speaker 2: Nobel summarized the results of his close inspection of the warriors, stating, quote, 433 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 2: certain fractured areas do not properly join where this would 434 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 2: have been obvious. The edges of the brig have been 435 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 2: chipped away to hide the telltale flaws. This suggested that 436 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 2: the figures had warped and cracked in drying, and probably 437 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 2: were already in fragments before firing. That sounds a lot 438 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 2: like von Boehmer's assessment. An interesting aside on Noble. Noble 439 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 2: was a known forger, and he was open about doing so. 440 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 2: Through his research of Egyptian and Greek ceramics and the 441 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 2: materials they were made with, he became skilled in techniques 442 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,959 Speaker 2: used in making ancient art, and he turned that knowledge 443 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 2: into sort of a hobby, creating replicas on a kiln 444 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 2: at his home. He didn't scam anyone into buying them, though, 445 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 2: he called it his research, and he went on to 446 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 2: publish a book called The Techniques of Painted Attic Pottery. 447 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:36,600 Speaker 1: Roormer, in his final observation on the whole situation before 448 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: his sudden death in nineteen sixty six, said, quote, the 449 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 1: facts at hand should bring to a close what, alas 450 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: is not an isolated chapter in the history of collecting. 451 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: And according to the New York Times in nineteen sixty two, 452 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: after the sculptures were outed as inauthentic, the met moved 453 00:29:54,320 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: them to the basement with restricted viewing for scholars. Okay, 454 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: are you ready for a bogus bevy? 455 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:07,720 Speaker 2: I'm always ready for a bogus bevy. 456 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 1: This one is so funny that it made me laugh 457 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: very hard when I took the first sip, because I 458 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: made both of the drinks to make sure they looked right, 459 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: and then it was hilarious to look at one while 460 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: drinking me up. 461 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 2: That is actually probably a little surreal. 462 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:30,800 Speaker 1: This is a super easy drink to make. It consists 463 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: of a half an ounce of banana liquere, an ounce 464 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 1: of a spiced rum, so you want a brown rum here, 465 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: and then an ounce and a half of cranberry juice 466 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:46,840 Speaker 1: and you're gonna stir that together in a glass and 467 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: then give it like a little orange coin as a 468 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: garnish because it looks exactly like in agrony. 469 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 2: But it's banana, right, which is hilarious to which is sorry, 470 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:04,280 Speaker 2: I couldn't help it. 471 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to try to replicate a drink that is 472 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: very Italian, which there's There are books written about the 473 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,200 Speaker 1: history of the Nigroni. I have talked about it on 474 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: other shows, and the Nigroni is one of those infamous 475 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: cocktails that is often referred to as an acquired taste 476 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: because the initial sip is a lot. It's very bitter. Yeah, 477 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:32,080 Speaker 1: Camari is a very bitter orange liqueur. It also has 478 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: sweet vermouth in it and gin, so it's a heavy 479 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: hitter in terms of alcohol content and it's biti. But 480 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: then you take a second or third sip and you 481 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: start to notice all of the different subtleties of it. 482 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: But it is an acquired taste. 483 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 2: Campari in general seems to be on a lot of 484 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 2: people's lists. 485 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: So right, so, if you are looking at a drink 486 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 1: that you think is gonna be a negroni and it 487 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 1: tastes like bananas, it's just funny, funny. That's a delicious drink. 488 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: Although I will say, really, you're not going to fool 489 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 1: anyone because even with only half an ounce, you can 490 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: smell the banana comment as you're bringing it up to 491 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 1: your lips. But it is so yummy. It tastes like 492 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:19,479 Speaker 1: a tropical Caribbean getaway. Not at all. 493 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 2: It sounds like a lovely hot weather refreshing And you 494 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 2: know when you bring that up thinking it's in a 495 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 2: grony and you get that smell of banana, you're like, 496 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 2: something's gone wrong. 497 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 1: And I also, for no reason other than I just 498 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 1: wanted to see if I could. I wanted to make 499 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:39,120 Speaker 1: a fake that you built in the same way, just 500 00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: like in the grony. You normally build in the glass 501 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:44,640 Speaker 1: and stir it to cool all of the elements. You 502 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: do the exact same thing with what I'm calling the 503 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,920 Speaker 1: Boka porku because I made it up. It's not real, 504 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: and yeah, you just stir in the glass. It's three ingredients. 505 00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:00,040 Speaker 1: I initially tried to make it the same measures of 506 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: an ounce and announce and an ounce, and it didn't 507 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 1: get red enough. We had to throttle back the banana, 508 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: to throttle in a little more cranberry to get it 509 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: that red color. And it's pretty clear. I would say 510 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 1: it's within a shade or two of the NEGRONI I made. 511 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: Now in your experience, if you make this at home, 512 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: some of that's gonna be variable, right. Not every spiced 513 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 1: rum is quite the same shade of brown, Not every 514 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: cranberry juice is quite the same shade of red. So 515 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: if you are trying to make one just for fun 516 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: and match the colors exactly, you might need to tweak 517 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,920 Speaker 1: the proportions a little bit more. But it looks if 518 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: I walked into a bar and someone were drinking it 519 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 1: and I didn't have the scent of it, I would 520 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: be like, oh, that person is drinking into grown. 521 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 2: Especially like the blacks are a little damn it might look, 522 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 2: you know, doesn't matter how red it. 523 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: Is, although I did make it in very bright light 524 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: so I could for you. Yes, I wanted to make 525 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: sure it's really And that's the Boca porkup, which made 526 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:00,920 Speaker 1: me laugh so hard, because there's something so nerfully absurd 527 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 1: about banana favor when you think that you're getting come Barry, 528 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: it's just funny. It's just funny. The way to make 529 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 1: this as a mocktail is super easy. I almost skip 530 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,359 Speaker 1: that entirely. You will just use a little banana syrup there, 531 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,440 Speaker 1: easy peasy, and then in lieu of spice drum. You 532 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: can do a tea, a dark tea, and I would 533 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: if you want to make it yummy, I would add 534 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,399 Speaker 1: some spices of your own to that tea, so make 535 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 1: like your favorite black tea, like whether you like an 536 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: Earl Gray or an English Breakfast or whatever. And then 537 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 1: I would add a little cardamom, maybe a little cinnamon, 538 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,120 Speaker 1: maybe a little nutmeg, and just shake it up and 539 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:42,960 Speaker 1: you can double strain it if you don't want any 540 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,960 Speaker 1: debris in there, but then it's still. 541 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,759 Speaker 2: Like I bet a little nutmeg would be great in 542 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:49,480 Speaker 2: that mocktail. 543 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,640 Speaker 1: Nutmeg is great and cocktails I love it. You can 544 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: also mess around with bitter, spice it up the way 545 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 1: you like, but it's still a Boca porka, and that's 546 00:34:58,160 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: what's important. 547 00:34:59,000 --> 00:34:59,279 Speaker 2: It is. 548 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 1: We'll see if I manage the same level of absurdity 549 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: next week. I hope you will join us to find out. 550 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 1: We'll have another forgery story and another cocktail that mocks 551 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 1: another drink. Criminalia is a production of Shondaland Audio in 552 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please 553 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,880 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 554 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.