Buyer beware!
Some of the Egyptians who bought funerary items at the marketplace would not have been able to read what was inscribed on their amulet (magical charm), papyrus or shabti (small funerary statuette), trusting instead that they were being sold authentic items. This gave the less ethical vendor an opportunity to sell substandard products. Today, the buyer must also beware. The modern market for Egyptian antiquities has seen the production of fakes designed to fool the buyer. Many of the fakes are easily recognised by experts. However, there have been cases where forgeries were so convincing that their authenticity lay unquestioned for decades.
A 'bronze' cat
This 'bronze' figure of a cat was donated to the Australian Museum in 1913 by Ernest Wunderlich, Museum trustee and Egyptian enthusiast. While initially believed to be a genuine Egyptian artefact, its authenticity was questioned as early as 1914. However, it was not confirmed as a fake until 2001 when the curator of the Museum of Ancient Cultures at Macquarie University in Sydney noticed corrosion occurring under the painted plaster.
Conservators at the Australian Museum found that the body was made from rolled steel with a coating of tin or zinc. Since rolled steel was unknown to the ancient Egyptians, the artefact was x-rayed for more clues as to its method of manufacture. The x-rays showed that the two legs were made from cores of steel rod and the head was made from solid plaster. Also, a surface finish had been applied to give the appearance of corroded bronze.
Cat figure forgery
Steel, plaster, pigments
Date and provenance unknown
Australian Museum Collection, 1913
Photo: S Humphreys © Australian Museum
