Experts think wishfully too!

“A learned fool is more foolish than an ignorant fool”

– Moliere

I was told recently the story of Han Van Meegeren, an infamous, and one might argue ingenious, mid-20th Century art forger. Van Meegeren’s recreations of works by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, in particular, have become the subject of books, movies and even folklore. Amongst those duped into acquiring a Van Meegeren “Vermeer” was none other than Hitler’s Reichsmarschall and confidante Hermann Göring, who traded 137 looted (but genuine) artworks for what he believed to be just one of thirty-four known Vermeer’s, a work titled: Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery. Following the end of World War II, as Allied forces worked their way through Aladdin caves of stolen and hoarded artistic treasures, the provenance of Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery was traced back to Van Meegeren where it abruptly stopped. Van Megeeren was questioned about where he had acquired the piece but was unable to provide a satisfactory answer.

Upon arrest by the Allied authorities Van Meegeren was confronted with a Mortonian dilemma; admit that he had painted the piece and face trial as a forger, or be tried for the more heinous crime of acting as a Nazi collaborator in the supply of priceless national treasures to the Third Reich.

Needless to say, he took the forgery path, and in the process of a highly publicised trial became, if only momentarily, a Dutch national hero. Van Meegeren painted the picture (pardon the pun) during his trial that he had intentionally swindled Goring to teach the Nazi a lesson, and secure a symbolic victory for his nation. The veracity of these claims is highly questionable, given a copy of Van Meegeren’s own anti-Semitic “book” Tekeningen 1 was found in Hitler’s personal library with an inscription from the author that reads: “To my beloved Führer in grateful tribute, from H. van Meegeren, Laren, North-Holland, 1942”. It is said that upon being told of the swindle, Goring, for the first time, looked as if he “had discovered evil existed in this world”. It all makes for fascinating storytelling, and a new movie starring Australia’s Guy Pearce, The Last Vermeer, will soon present another “recreation” of the Van Meegeren story. There is a lesson to be learned from the whole saga, in truth probably many, but the lesson I’ll focus on concerns the folly of wishful thinking.

You might be wondering how it was that Van Meegeren managed to convince the art world he had obtained these previously unknown and undiscovered treasures. To gain legitimacy Van Meegeren sought out the world’s foremost authority on Vermeer, Dr Abraham Bredius, to secure the endorsement of his first Vermeer imitation, a piece titled: The Supper at Emmaus (pictured above).

Now, this is where the true genius of Van Meegeren’s ploy lay, and wherein also lies our lesson. Throughout his long and illustrious career, Bredius had written extensively on Vermeer, and often speculated about “missing” periods in the little-known life of the painter. Bredius believed Vermeer had, at one point, travelled to Italy to learn more of his craft from significant Italian painters, and wondered whether any works had emanated from this journey.

Before Bredius ever lay eyes on Emmaus, Van Meegeren created an elaborate back-story for the piece. This was the story of an old aristocratic Italian family, attempting to raise funds to flee fascist Italy, selling off their treasured family possessions amongst which was this painting. A painting that had hung on their villa walls for generations. Bredius, himself a noted and public anti-fascist, despite being retired, felt empathy for the Italian family’s plight and consented to assess the work.

The painting itself, to the untrained eye, looked nothing like any other genuine Vermeer. Yet, to the trained eye, there were certain flourishes that were very characteristically Vermeer. A smattering of breadcrumbs on a loaf of bread, the shade of blue used on the robes of the protagonist. Things you and I wouldn’t notice, but an expert would. Here was a work that, if actually painted by Vermeer, would confirm Bredius’ long-held conviction about Vermeer’s travels to Italy. A work that would prove he had been right all along. At age 82, Bredius wanted The Supper at Emmaus to be real, he needed it to be real. Bredius declared it “the masterpiece of Johannes Vermeer of Delft”.

So, what is the lesson and what does this have to do with property? Bredius got it very wrong when it came to Van Meegeren’s Vermeer. Bredius’ wishful thinking blinded him to the overwhelming evidence that the painting in front of him was not a Vermeer, was nothing like a Vermeer – something you or I would have recognised in an instant. The Supper at Emmaus wasn’t valueless, far from it, it just wasn’t as valuable as the expert thought. When it comes to our homes, our houses, our apartments, the properties we own or live in, each of us is the expert. We can see the minute details that make it special, that make it unique, that make it valuable, that make it… priceless. The question is, does everyone else see them too? Do you have a design in mind for your blog? Whether you prefer a trendy postcard look or you’re going for a more editorial style blog - there’s a stunning layout for everyone.