Three Busts on a Capital

Many of the forgeries in this exhibition have Christian themes, probably because they were intended for American and European markets. The standing female figure here, for example, holds a cross. The way she holds it has no parallels in early Christian Egypt, however, nor does the omission of details on the back of her head and dress. Moreover, she has hair and eyes like those on other forgeries. The other two pieces here were carved in a poor quality stone not used in antiquity; they may be by the same hand. One appears to show Mary and the Christ child with Joseph. The figures are badly proportioned, and the plants draped along the arches above them make no sense. On the other piece, three heads appear, most implausibly, atop a column capital.