Форум по искусству и инвестициям в искусство

During the holidays I enjoyed reading the memories Valentina Khodasevich "Portraits of the words", and there is the curious incident of forgery.

In the early twentieth century the Stroganov School on Sundays for those who wish there were free weekend classes for drawing. Taught there PP Pashkov (1872 - 1962 portrait, landscape), familiar Khodaseviches. And one fine Sunday morning, Valentina Khodasevich painted there Venus:
"She drew many: obviously, the beauty was a huge attraction. I joined up and began to observe her profile. My neighbor was a skinny young man with a scraggly vegetation, clumps located on the head and face. Very strange eyes. It interested me that the head of Venus, turn to us right profile, painted profile of the left, watched squint one or the other eye, and erasing all the cloth or rubber, began to draw a profile to the right, but soon again "slid" to the left. I timidly asked him why he paints a profile in the wrong direction, like everyone else, and was frightened when he confidently told me: "I see so, although I know that this is not so." I have tried not to look in his direction, so as not to see him.
At home, I told the parents how and what was in the Stroganov, and, of course, told him about a strange artist who "sees in the wrong direction." My father told me to be his next Sunday after class to meet him. By the time my father I have learned that the name of the artist Galvich and presented them to each other.
Galvich told his father that he understands that Venus is not given to him. Expanding battered folder, he showed us a small watercolor and oil composition. This invented landscapes interspersed with human figures in them. Very nice color, and they have something of Vrubel color vision. They are fabulous, candid and naive. With great deal of painstaking and lovingly made. It was found that, using a remote resemblance Wrubel, they had bought "on the top five in art supply stores and Datsiaro d'Avanzi (both at the Kuznetsk bridge), signed" Vrubel, inserted into the frame and sell luxury "connoisseurs" fervor. Merchants were selling it well, and Galvich find a market.
His father was outraged (MF Khodasevich was known in his time barrister), explained Galvichu that it inflated, and forgery of signature is punishable by law. He promised that he would try every way to help sell his paintings with the signature "Galvich" and a decent amount.
Galvich in our house "caught on" in the summer and lived with us at the dacha in the Old Gireiev. He painted roses and bluebells little convincing, but very beautiful. Since he came at us very shabby, the father gave his tailor his suit coat and altered to Galvicha. Galvich before suddenly disappearing for two weeks and did not show up, but I got a suit, he immediately disappeared. It turned out that he was drunken alcoholic and, of course, any earnings he lacked. The costume he once drank, and returned to us barely dressed in some rags. His father had his way, but re-clothed. He became our anguish - a talented artist perished. One summer day he disappeared and never returned more to us. After some time the father knew that Galvich appeared in Kiev, finally took to drink and died in delirium tremens. Its age was uncertain. He was a talented and distinctive. Not only Venus, but much, if from life, he drew a strange - and in the wrong direction.

And I wonder how many such "Vrubel label store Datsiaro as conclusive provenance is stored in different collections?
A more curious to see if somewhere under the signature of the talented, but an unknown artist Galvicha VA (dates of life is not known), who "saw it in the wrong direction"?