Authenticity Studies was born from the desire to create a multidisciplinary and highly qualified place for comparison and discussion between archaeologists, art historians, scientists, jurists and museum professionals to promote reflections on the practices of attribution and authentication, to preserve the authentic Cultural Heritage and spread a Culture of Legality in the historical-artistic and archaeological fields.

In fact, in recent years, the international debate on the protection of cultural heritage has become increasingly intense, giving rise to numerous national, European, and international research and cooperation projects. Furthermore, the problem of forgery and provenance also appears extremely practical: for example, in Italy, between 2015 and 2019, the police authorities seized almost fifty thousand counterfeit objects that reproduce more or less famous works of art.

Authenticity Studies accepts original and unpublished contributions in the form of essays, short news or reports focused on three main research lines: 

1. Theory and method of art-historical and archaeological attribution; 
2. Investigations on the phenomenon of falsification: history, philosophy, methods and society; 
3. Provenance Studies. 

The essays, thanks to a larger structure, must mainly investigate the theoretical and methodological aspects of the themes of authentication, attribution, falsification and studies on provenance.

On the other hand, the short news presents practical, original and relevant cases of attributions or authentication, protection and conservation of Cultural Heritage.

Finally, the reports want to be a place for continuous updating on publications, exhibitions, disputes and the most relevant cases of the year on authentication and attribution of archaeological and historical-artistic objects.

In this way, Authenticity Studies intends to analyze the methods of study and analysis, as well as the philology, for the attribution and authentication of archaeological and artistic manufacts, to propose new attributions or verify the authenticity of the same, as well as to study the revival of taste and tradition in modern and contemporary society.

Furthermore, Authenticity Studies intends to propose a complete analysis of the phenomenon of falsification, verifying the material results and the economic, social, legal, philosophical and ethical implications. Authenticity Studies analyzes the authentication techniques and methods (humanistic and technological-scientific), the connections with the art market, and the history of collecting, thus also investigating historical fakes and those inserted, over time, in the field museum public and private.

Finally, Authenticity Studies wants to be the forum for discussion and reflection around studies on the provenance and on the reconstruction of the original context of archaeological and art-historical heritage, and the place for discussion on protection practices and on the actions to be taken for the conservation and the safeguarding of authentic Cultural Heritage.

For further information: read more here.