A Closer Look: Deceptions and Discoveries

How do experts spot masterpieces? Paintings are not always signed or noted in historical records, so how can we tell an obscure gem from an altered image? Scientists, conservators and art historians use a range of methods to examine the physical nature of pictures and unravel their hidden histories. Through a series of intriguing examples and clearly explained processes, this new addition to the National Gallerys popular Closer Look series will draw the reader into the complex issuesnot all of them fully resolvedconfronted by gallery professionals. Published by the National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press