What do you think?
Rate this book
The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds, and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures
The art world has never seemed quite so treacherous, so beguiling- and so much fun
What separates a masterpiece from a piece of junk? Thanks to the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and its American spin-off, everyone is searching garage sales and hunting online for hidden gems, wondering whether their attics contain trash or treasures. In The Art Detective , Philip Mould, one of the world's foremost authorities on British portraiture and an irreverent and delightful expert for the Roadshow , serves up his secrets and his best stories, blending the technical details of art detection and restoration with juicy tales peopled by a range of eccentric collectors, scholars, forgers, and opportunists.
Peppered with practical advice, each chapter focuses on one particular painting and the mystery that surrounds it. Mould is our trusty detective, tracking down clues, uncovering human foibles and following hunches until the truth is revealed. Mould is known for his ability to crack the toughest puzzles and whether he's writing about a fake Norman Rockwell, a hidden Rembrandt, or a lost Gainsborough, he brings both the art and the adventure to life. The Art Detective is memoir, mystery, art history, and brilliant yarn all rolled into one.
What separates a masterpiece from a piece of junk? Thanks to the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and its American spin-off, everyone is searching garage sales and hunting online for hidden gems, wondering whether their attics contain trash or treasures. In The Art Detective , Philip Mould, one of the world's foremost authorities on British portraiture and an irreverent and delightful expert for the Roadshow , serves up his secrets and his best stories, blending the technical details of art detection and restoration with juicy tales peopled by a range of eccentric collectors, scholars, forgers, and opportunists.
Peppered with practical advice, each chapter focuses on one particular painting and the mystery that surrounds it. Mould is our trusty detective, tracking down clues, uncovering human foibles and following hunches until the truth is revealed. Mould is known for his ability to crack the toughest puzzles and whether he's writing about a fake Norman Rockwell, a hidden Rembrandt, or a lost Gainsborough, he brings both the art and the adventure to life. The Art Detective is memoir, mystery, art history, and brilliant yarn all rolled into one.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2009
40 people are currently reading
2354 people want to read
About the author
Philip Mould
10 books28 followersPhilip Jonathan Clifford Mould OBE (born March 1960) is an English art dealer, London gallery owner, art historian, writer and broadcaster. He has made a number of major art discoveries, including works of Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck and Thomas Lawrence.
Mould is the author of two books on art discovery and is widely consulted by the media on the subject. He co-presents the BBC television programme Fake or Fortune?, an arts programme, with journalist and broadcaster Fiona Bruce and features as an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow. - Wikipedia
Mould is the author of two books on art discovery and is widely consulted by the media on the subject. He co-presents the BBC television programme Fake or Fortune?, an arts programme, with journalist and broadcaster Fiona Bruce and features as an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow. - Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
August 14, 2025
4 stars for an interesting book about the art world. The author is the owner of an art gallery in London, England. He appears regularly on BBC's Antiques Roadshow. He makes his living buying artwork and reselling it at a higher price. There are 6 chapters in the book, describing some of the more famous finds that he was involved in. If he finds a lost painting by a master and purchases it at a very low price, he can make a great deal of money once it is restored, and its authenticity is verified. One such case was a Rembrandt painting that had been over painted and was not verifiably by Rembrandt. He purchased the painting, consulted experts in the history of the period to establish provenance and had his in house restorer remove the over paint. He sold it for 7 million UK pounds.
I recommend this book to art historians and mystery fans.
This was a library display book. My library's summer reading club gives out bingo sheets to participate. One square was "read a book about art."
I recommend this book to art historians and mystery fans.
This was a library display book. My library's summer reading club gives out bingo sheets to participate. One square was "read a book about art."
September 20, 2025
When you go to a car dealer, you can be reasonably sure that Toyota or BMW or Ford is, indeed, a Toyota or BMW or Ford. The dealer doesn't have to trace the VIN through the whole supply chain back to the factory to confirm the nameplate's legit. Simple.
Not so much for buying art. Rembrandt didn't put serial numbers on his paintings. Famous artists had schools, and followers learned how to paint or sculpt the way the master did, started or helped with the master's works, and maybe knocked off a canvas on the side for a client who wanted the look but not the price. Over the course of decades or centuries, the varnish yellows and clouds, the piece gets damaged or altered, and restorers (or, especially in the old days, "restorers") may overpaint the original work to "fix" it. It finally lands on an easel in a gallery or auction house and the questions begin: is this an original or copy? Who really created it? What's it worth? What a modern dealer does with such dilemmas depends on his ambition, honesty, and desire to solve the puzzle.
Philip Mould--this book's titular art detective--runs a successful London gallery specializing in 16th-19th Century portraits, and as such appears to regularly find himself grappling with these problems. Devotees of the British version of Antiques Roadshow may recognize his name. This book is a collection of stories of his adventures. Each of the six "cases" takes him down a trail that often leads across oceans, through archives and museums, and into the homes of the great and humble.
Mould is an able and personable narrator. Learned, literate, yet self-deprecating, he manages to avoid the stuffed-shirt tone common to art experts speaking about art. These are the tales he might tell at a dinner party in a posh Kensington townhome or over drinks at the club, and in much the same way. He manages to minimize his use of specialist-speak (the often impenetrable argot of the art world) and usually takes care to explain what he's up to and why. He also avoids the pitfall of "I" -- making it sound like he's the one doing all the heavy lifting. He regularly includes his extended network of employees, colleagues, friends, and contacts in Europe and North America and credits them with their contributions to his sleuthing.
This is essentially a short-story anthology and has the episodic nature common to such things. Don't expect a strong throughline or to have any overall summing-up. Surprisingly, the client rarely appears; the point to all of Mould's detecting is to fetch the best price for the work in question, but we rarely see the purchaser's reaction to all this work or hear from them whether any of it has the intended effect. (Indeed, at least two of the stories involve work done for museums, which is interesting but hardly a gallerist's typical calling.) The book is tightly bound to the art markets in Britain and the American Northeast, with their similar attitudes and standards. It would've been nice to see Mould carry out his work in the wider global art market, and perhaps learn how, say, Chinese or Mideastern clients and institutions react to his brand of truth-seeking.
The Art Detective is an entertaining and engaging account of real-life detective work in the rather odd world of art collecting. Its narrator is easy to get along with, and the supporting characters are often equally colorful. If you're at all interested in how we figure out whether a painting is a masterpiece or hotel art, this is a good place to start.
Not so much for buying art. Rembrandt didn't put serial numbers on his paintings. Famous artists had schools, and followers learned how to paint or sculpt the way the master did, started or helped with the master's works, and maybe knocked off a canvas on the side for a client who wanted the look but not the price. Over the course of decades or centuries, the varnish yellows and clouds, the piece gets damaged or altered, and restorers (or, especially in the old days, "restorers") may overpaint the original work to "fix" it. It finally lands on an easel in a gallery or auction house and the questions begin: is this an original or copy? Who really created it? What's it worth? What a modern dealer does with such dilemmas depends on his ambition, honesty, and desire to solve the puzzle.
Philip Mould--this book's titular art detective--runs a successful London gallery specializing in 16th-19th Century portraits, and as such appears to regularly find himself grappling with these problems. Devotees of the British version of Antiques Roadshow may recognize his name. This book is a collection of stories of his adventures. Each of the six "cases" takes him down a trail that often leads across oceans, through archives and museums, and into the homes of the great and humble.
Mould is an able and personable narrator. Learned, literate, yet self-deprecating, he manages to avoid the stuffed-shirt tone common to art experts speaking about art. These are the tales he might tell at a dinner party in a posh Kensington townhome or over drinks at the club, and in much the same way. He manages to minimize his use of specialist-speak (the often impenetrable argot of the art world) and usually takes care to explain what he's up to and why. He also avoids the pitfall of "I" -- making it sound like he's the one doing all the heavy lifting. He regularly includes his extended network of employees, colleagues, friends, and contacts in Europe and North America and credits them with their contributions to his sleuthing.
This is essentially a short-story anthology and has the episodic nature common to such things. Don't expect a strong throughline or to have any overall summing-up. Surprisingly, the client rarely appears; the point to all of Mould's detecting is to fetch the best price for the work in question, but we rarely see the purchaser's reaction to all this work or hear from them whether any of it has the intended effect. (Indeed, at least two of the stories involve work done for museums, which is interesting but hardly a gallerist's typical calling.) The book is tightly bound to the art markets in Britain and the American Northeast, with their similar attitudes and standards. It would've been nice to see Mould carry out his work in the wider global art market, and perhaps learn how, say, Chinese or Mideastern clients and institutions react to his brand of truth-seeking.
The Art Detective is an entertaining and engaging account of real-life detective work in the rather odd world of art collecting. Its narrator is easy to get along with, and the supporting characters are often equally colorful. If you're at all interested in how we figure out whether a painting is a masterpiece or hotel art, this is a good place to start.
May 13, 2021
The subject of art and what happens to it once greed, jealousy, fraud, theft becomes involved with it has always tickled my fancy. By no means do I have a favourite painter or even the knowledge about a specific artist. I do like visiting museums whenever I come across them. There are pieces I like and piece that fail my personal taste. I remember visiting a museum with van Gogh, Matisse and Monet paintings which I really admire but the metal head piece from The Maschinenmensch (literally 'machine-human' in German) is a fictional character in Fritz Lang's film Metropolis, played by German actress Brigitte Helm , tickled my interest more than the art did. But mostly art is something personal and I am in awe of those who make a living working with art and can inform people about it without making them look stupid and themselves smarter.
This book is about a small amount of cases (so read them like short stories) of situations in which art turned out to be different than expected. I did enjoy the lengthy introduction on the various technologies involved in the obtaining, selling/buying or recognizing art.
There is a story of an American collector who had been collecting for most of life and did manage to create a rather large collection of valuable and interesting art without anybody knowing and it turned out to be a great gift to the world.
Then there was a Gainsborough painting that had been missing and was returned to the world, its explanation about cleaning a painting was fascinating also the research in historical libraries for the truth was interesting.
Fraud in the Rockwell hoax, a story related by those involved not the author himself, but he took the time to speak to all involved. An interesting and yet sad story about possession of art.
Then there is the story of a Rembrandt painting that was disguised by painting over the original and thereby creating a whole new look which was different from Rembrandt himself. You learn about the institute that has become the major knowledge powerhouse on the subject of Rembrandt and does has the knowledge and skills to differentiate between the Master and his followers. There is a whole group of people invested in the proper classification and restoration of the old Dutch master.
Of course a portrait of Elizabeth 1 who is in dire need of some tender loving care shows the investigation into a painting both physical and through manuscripts and then the process of buying makes you see the process an art dealer goes through.
And lastly from the episodes of "the antiques roadshow" comes the story of the recovered Winslow Homer, that was found on a rubbish heap by a fisher who carried it to the TV show and then was followed to the auction and was taken out on the basis of a contested ownership.
These are some stories about the processes of the art industry or art trade and give a pretty good insight in what goes on and the writer does give plenty of credit to the people he encounters en describes in the novel. An entertaining read for people who enjoy some more information on the art of selling and buying art especially paintings.
Nothing really spectacular but a fun insight, decently enough to read and enjoy.
This book is about a small amount of cases (so read them like short stories) of situations in which art turned out to be different than expected. I did enjoy the lengthy introduction on the various technologies involved in the obtaining, selling/buying or recognizing art.
There is a story of an American collector who had been collecting for most of life and did manage to create a rather large collection of valuable and interesting art without anybody knowing and it turned out to be a great gift to the world.
Then there was a Gainsborough painting that had been missing and was returned to the world, its explanation about cleaning a painting was fascinating also the research in historical libraries for the truth was interesting.
Fraud in the Rockwell hoax, a story related by those involved not the author himself, but he took the time to speak to all involved. An interesting and yet sad story about possession of art.
Then there is the story of a Rembrandt painting that was disguised by painting over the original and thereby creating a whole new look which was different from Rembrandt himself. You learn about the institute that has become the major knowledge powerhouse on the subject of Rembrandt and does has the knowledge and skills to differentiate between the Master and his followers. There is a whole group of people invested in the proper classification and restoration of the old Dutch master.
Of course a portrait of Elizabeth 1 who is in dire need of some tender loving care shows the investigation into a painting both physical and through manuscripts and then the process of buying makes you see the process an art dealer goes through.
And lastly from the episodes of "the antiques roadshow" comes the story of the recovered Winslow Homer, that was found on a rubbish heap by a fisher who carried it to the TV show and then was followed to the auction and was taken out on the basis of a contested ownership.
These are some stories about the processes of the art industry or art trade and give a pretty good insight in what goes on and the writer does give plenty of credit to the people he encounters en describes in the novel. An entertaining read for people who enjoy some more information on the art of selling and buying art especially paintings.
Nothing really spectacular but a fun insight, decently enough to read and enjoy.
March 19, 2011
Mould is a little too casual and chatty for my taste, although I'm sure I'd enjoy him on Antiques Roadshow. I'm interested in the topic - art restoration, misattributions, connoisseurship, the detective work of finding out who really painted something - but I'd rather either see it done on the telly, or read more academic works about it. The book, though small, has two sections of color plates, which is nice. Without them I think it would be exceedingly boring. With them, we can compare before and after Rembrandts, definitive Gainsboroughs vs. "follower of Ruisdael", real vs. fake Norman Rockwells.
The most interesting details involve things like what the Hermitage Museum did in the first half of the 20th century, removing paintings from their damaged wood panels and transferring them to canvas, which turned out to be a terrible idea, sometimes altering the paint surface itself when the adhesive leached through or when too much wood was planed off, damaging canvas or paint. I also appreciated his distinction between art history and connoisseurship. The art historian, whose expertise is more theoretical, may not always be the best connoisseur, whose expertise is practical. The connoisseur, someone whose expertise is "defining and recognizing the strokes of the master," is going to be more helpful in Mould's line of work than the art historian.
The most interesting details involve things like what the Hermitage Museum did in the first half of the 20th century, removing paintings from their damaged wood panels and transferring them to canvas, which turned out to be a terrible idea, sometimes altering the paint surface itself when the adhesive leached through or when too much wood was planed off, damaging canvas or paint. I also appreciated his distinction between art history and connoisseurship. The art historian, whose expertise is more theoretical, may not always be the best connoisseur, whose expertise is practical. The connoisseur, someone whose expertise is "defining and recognizing the strokes of the master," is going to be more helpful in Mould's line of work than the art historian.
July 9, 2014
Really enjoyed this book, but I will say, it's definitely a niche book, so to speak. I was acquainted with Philip Mould through the British Antiques Roadshow. I always enjoyed his segments, and I have a large interest in art, art history, and the art market, so it seemed like a good fit for me. I found all the "cases" very interesting and I enjoyed Mould's style of writing. He has a very rich vocabulary, which is rarely encountered in our world today, and I found that particularly refreshing. Admittedly, if you are not interested in art history, you probably won't find it as fascinating as I did, but I went to college for a time as an art history major, so this book follows my inclinations. Overall, a lovely and entertaining book!
October 7, 2021
Detecting is detecting
Fascinating view of the art world from the view of a dealer in master works. The backstories that lead to authentication and the work (and money) that go into professional restoration are intriguing.
Fascinating view of the art world from the view of a dealer in master works. The backstories that lead to authentication and the work (and money) that go into professional restoration are intriguing.
July 4, 2010
As an art freak I enjoyed this book.
The episodes were of varying interest to me, what I found most fascinating was the "bad restorer" problem.
Say you have a 17th century masterpiece but with a bit of damage. Now if you were clever, you could just paint the damaged areas. But that takes an annoying amount of patience. Instead, just slather a bunch of paint over the area and keep blending until it sort of looks OK but obliterating a large amount of the original work, and maybe this happens a couple of more times, all the while dust embedding into aging browning varnish. Before you know it, you have an obscure painting by "a follower of" or "in the manner of" the master, or maybe mistaken for the creation of an entirely different artist, and valued at a fraction of the price that the work as originally conceived would command.
So if like Mould, your job is to find lost masterpieces buried under the gunk, there is considerable drama and risk, but also a tremendous upside potential after the work of restoration. Although he is in a treu business, there are for him considerable non-monetary compensations, such as testing his connoisseur and wits, living in the presence of beautifully crafted objects.
The episodes were of varying interest to me, what I found most fascinating was the "bad restorer" problem.
Say you have a 17th century masterpiece but with a bit of damage. Now if you were clever, you could just paint the damaged areas. But that takes an annoying amount of patience. Instead, just slather a bunch of paint over the area and keep blending until it sort of looks OK but obliterating a large amount of the original work, and maybe this happens a couple of more times, all the while dust embedding into aging browning varnish. Before you know it, you have an obscure painting by "a follower of" or "in the manner of" the master, or maybe mistaken for the creation of an entirely different artist, and valued at a fraction of the price that the work as originally conceived would command.
So if like Mould, your job is to find lost masterpieces buried under the gunk, there is considerable drama and risk, but also a tremendous upside potential after the work of restoration. Although he is in a treu business, there are for him considerable non-monetary compensations, such as testing his connoisseur and wits, living in the presence of beautifully crafted objects.
May 12, 2018
Four and a half stars for not being able to put it down, for being well-structured, and for above all being fascinating. Mould walks the reader through the world of expensive art deals, from discovering paintings rotting away in barns to forgeries to slogging through fields to find the exact site where a masterpiece was born. He and his staff and the buyers and sellers they meet come across as real people that you might want to meet and chat with.
Mould has a skill for slowly revealing the mystery behind a painting or situation. You get the feeling that he’s told these stories at parties and dinners countless times and has perfected his delivery, and that somehow he’s managed to transfer that to print as well.
One half star off because Mould seems like a cool guy and then he’ll mention some interaction with someone he doesn’t think is on his high level and boy does he come off as a pompous snob.
Mould has a skill for slowly revealing the mystery behind a painting or situation. You get the feeling that he’s told these stories at parties and dinners countless times and has perfected his delivery, and that somehow he’s managed to transfer that to print as well.
One half star off because Mould seems like a cool guy and then he’ll mention some interaction with someone he doesn’t think is on his high level and boy does he come off as a pompous snob.
June 23, 2022
Very entertaining investigation into art secrets and lost treasures. The author is completely up his own ass of course but he’s got enough posh British swag to justify it
January 27, 2024
I have a lot of thoughts as somebody who studied art history and archaeology and also somebody who has seen every single episode of fake or fortune and let it run my entire covid existence by watching every episode multiple times. I find being an art dealer a fascinating job - I think where I differ just in my own perception of what it means to be an art historian is bringing the art back into the canon and discovering it for the study and view of the public versus the making of money. But obviously, that is the difference between an art historian and researcher, and being an art dealer, which I are obviously two very different jobs and both important in their own right. Regardless, I found these insights fascinating, and I knew of basically all of these cases, but having it written down in a different perspective, as a reflection, was interesting, and added another element to the story
July 8, 2020
Was a every interesting read, gave good insight on the art bidding and dealing world. I appreciate the time and effort to explain the things I knew little about in this subject.
March 18, 2018
a bunch of stories about a subject i should have found interesting, but i was kind of bored throughout. this is not a mystery,
May 12, 2019
It was an interesting look into the work of a gallery owner. The stories behind the art works and their acquisitions were interesting. But the title was really not reflective of the material. “Fakes, Frauds and Finds” were promised but each of the stories were about successful acquisitions of genuine pieces of art by known artists. I don’t blame the author for focusing on his triumphs but I feel the text didn’t deliver what the title promised.
Other than that, I learned that you should always keep your colas away from your art.
Other than that, I learned that you should always keep your colas away from your art.
February 12, 2021
After watching Fake or Fortune & The Art Detectives - and being completely hooked on both, I was so pleased to see this audiobook at my library.
This was an absolute thrill to listen to. I loved hearing about all the stories Philip had to share about the art world, his business, and the leg work it requires to clean up a painting, getting it certified, and sell.
I don’t think I could’ve enjoyed this listening experience more!!
5 stars, highly recommend if you’re a fan of the shows!
This was an absolute thrill to listen to. I loved hearing about all the stories Philip had to share about the art world, his business, and the leg work it requires to clean up a painting, getting it certified, and sell.
I don’t think I could’ve enjoyed this listening experience more!!
5 stars, highly recommend if you’re a fan of the shows!
June 6, 2018
An interesting collection of stories about lost and found art treasures from one of the hosts of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. Interesting enough even if you don't know a lot about art, although it might have even more significance if you did.
January 22, 2025
A tale of an interesting life of an art detective and some of the classic jobs that he has been assigned.
January 19, 2021
Interesting non-fiction book about six different art mysteries. I listened to the audio, so I didn't get to see pictures of the paintings discussed. I did google the Norman Rockwell though.
June 15, 2010
I received "The Art Detectives" as part of the Goodreads First Read program.
I'm not an art connoisseur by any stretch, although I do have my tastes and don't mind the occasional museum stroll. I love history and I love a good story. When you combine art, history and terrific storytelling, you come out with a book like "The Art Detectives" by Philip Mould.
The book is structured around 6 specific paintings, and the mysteries that surround/surrounded them. Mould is a fantastic writer. He's clear, concise and sometimes poetic. It's an odd thing to focus on when considering a work of non-fiction, but his writing is as expressive and pronounced as anything I've read recently.
Mould avoids the pretension, condescension and patronizing tone that one might expect from a book on high art. And surprisingly, each story is a strong tale in and of itself. At their best, they are very personal, human and touching. At their worst, they're simply good mysteries that Mould unravels layer-by-layer with a blending of personal insight, relevant experiences, historical background and significance. And it all flows beautifully through his solid prose and storytelling abilities.
The strongest tale is of Moulds' meetings with an eccentric hoarder named Earle Newton. The story ranges from their first interactions, to their first and subsequent visits. Newton is more of an "ammasser" than he is a collector, and the real heart of the narrative is Newton's wackiness and the impact of his hoarding on his family.
Family is also at the heart of a story that centers on a well known art deception (and recovery) of a Norman Rockwell painting. After subtle clues circulate around Rockwell's "Break Home Ties", two brothers hunt for the truth of whether their father owned a real Rockwell, and whether or not he knew it was a fake.
Mould does an amazing job of making art history accessible and interesting. All of his stories involve the detective work required to identify what is genuine and authentic from what is a pretender. Mould is both eloquent and passionate in "Mystery of the Missing Gainsborough" and "The Rembrandt in Disguise". Tudor England is the focus of "A Queen in Distress", and colonial Caribbean in "A Winslow Homer Lost and Found" as Mould turns art and history into compelling mysteries.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers of history, mysteries and certainly art.
I'm not an art connoisseur by any stretch, although I do have my tastes and don't mind the occasional museum stroll. I love history and I love a good story. When you combine art, history and terrific storytelling, you come out with a book like "The Art Detectives" by Philip Mould.
The book is structured around 6 specific paintings, and the mysteries that surround/surrounded them. Mould is a fantastic writer. He's clear, concise and sometimes poetic. It's an odd thing to focus on when considering a work of non-fiction, but his writing is as expressive and pronounced as anything I've read recently.
Mould avoids the pretension, condescension and patronizing tone that one might expect from a book on high art. And surprisingly, each story is a strong tale in and of itself. At their best, they are very personal, human and touching. At their worst, they're simply good mysteries that Mould unravels layer-by-layer with a blending of personal insight, relevant experiences, historical background and significance. And it all flows beautifully through his solid prose and storytelling abilities.
The strongest tale is of Moulds' meetings with an eccentric hoarder named Earle Newton. The story ranges from their first interactions, to their first and subsequent visits. Newton is more of an "ammasser" than he is a collector, and the real heart of the narrative is Newton's wackiness and the impact of his hoarding on his family.
Family is also at the heart of a story that centers on a well known art deception (and recovery) of a Norman Rockwell painting. After subtle clues circulate around Rockwell's "Break Home Ties", two brothers hunt for the truth of whether their father owned a real Rockwell, and whether or not he knew it was a fake.
Mould does an amazing job of making art history accessible and interesting. All of his stories involve the detective work required to identify what is genuine and authentic from what is a pretender. Mould is both eloquent and passionate in "Mystery of the Missing Gainsborough" and "The Rembrandt in Disguise". Tudor England is the focus of "A Queen in Distress", and colonial Caribbean in "A Winslow Homer Lost and Found" as Mould turns art and history into compelling mysteries.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers of history, mysteries and certainly art.
August 31, 2011
Mr. Mould is a dealer is British art and Old Masters as well as being a featured art expert on BBC episodes of The Antiques Road Show. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on British portraiture. One would think this would lead to a stuffy textbook like approach to his writing. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the reader gets to know Mr. Mould through his book it becomes quite obvious that he truly enjoys what he does and writes about it with enthusiasm and quite often a sense of humor.
In this book he discusses topics ranging from outright art fraud through to the intricate steps taken to restore damaged pieces of priceless art. He focuses primarily on six individual items ranging from the discovery of a rare portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth I, a copied Rockwell that turns out to be an original and a Hogarth painting haphazardly stored amongst a hoarder’s trove.
Reading this book was like traveling the world as an observer into the world of discovering fine (and sometimes not so fine) works of art. Very enjoyable.
In this book he discusses topics ranging from outright art fraud through to the intricate steps taken to restore damaged pieces of priceless art. He focuses primarily on six individual items ranging from the discovery of a rare portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth I, a copied Rockwell that turns out to be an original and a Hogarth painting haphazardly stored amongst a hoarder’s trove.
Reading this book was like traveling the world as an observer into the world of discovering fine (and sometimes not so fine) works of art. Very enjoyable.
July 9, 2010
When I first received this book through the first-reads program, I had expected a collection of stories chronicling the rarified world of the museum setting. Instead Philip Mould, shows that although the glamour of the art world does exist, behind the museum walls there are restorers, scholars, and collectors who are truly passionate about art and dedicate themselves to seek out lost treasures.
Part-history lesson, part-detective novel, the author traveled far and wide and found himself in a dilapitated church in Vermont to the English countryside to the archives in Jamaica and met colorful characters along the way. This book is no boring art history lesson. I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my fellow art-loving friends.
Part-history lesson, part-detective novel, the author traveled far and wide and found himself in a dilapitated church in Vermont to the English countryside to the archives in Jamaica and met colorful characters along the way. This book is no boring art history lesson. I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my fellow art-loving friends.
March 6, 2014
This is a fascinating book. The author worked on Antiques Roadshow, and also owns a gallery where he and his coworkers handle everything from restoration to purchases to authentication. This book follows some of what Mould considers his most interesting cases-I particularly found interesting the Norman Rockwell Hoax, which read like a mystery with all its twists and turns, and the Queen Elizabeth portrait, which contained a lot of fascinating royal history. While I did occasionally get bogged down on some of the details (I love art, and history, but am in no way an expert on either), I loved this book nonetheless.
July 1, 2015
Pretentious and pompous. Not really all that informative...more, a detailed chronicle of his conquests and a lot of name dropping of 'art scene' people.
He starts off the book talking about how art dealers don't make a lot of money (guess he was comparing himself to the tycoons and super-rich who buy his pieces for millions of dollars at auction), but then later he goes on to say that the profit from the sale of one portrait allowed him to purchase a townhouse in London....yes, he is very poor and we should all feel sorry for him trying to scratch a living.
There are better art books out there.
He starts off the book talking about how art dealers don't make a lot of money (guess he was comparing himself to the tycoons and super-rich who buy his pieces for millions of dollars at auction), but then later he goes on to say that the profit from the sale of one portrait allowed him to purchase a townhouse in London....yes, he is very poor and we should all feel sorry for him trying to scratch a living.
There are better art books out there.
January 29, 2021
A very enjoyable book - I listened to the audible version.
Fun dive into a world (art dealing and art history) that I have hitherto never even thought about.
-1 star for pretentious tone from author.
Fun dive into a world (art dealing and art history) that I have hitherto never even thought about.
-1 star for pretentious tone from author.
May 4, 2013
The Aet Detedtive: Fakes, Frauds, and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures By Philip Mould This book had more to it than I first thought. Finding about paintings takes real detective work, just like a criminal case; where was the painting painted, who had owned the painting, were they ever stolen and on it goes to find the truth. The author shares how to spot a fake, different painting technics and the restoration and cleaning of paintings. An interesting book.
May 3, 2013
A quick read. Philip mould is an art dealer and expert from Antiques Roadshow on the BBC. His writing style is really pompous, his voice is my head was arrogant and condescending. I would not like to be described in one of his books, "her middleaged blandness masked an inquiring mind and prurient interest in art history." The story of a Norman Rockwell painting was particularly interesting. One of a Winslow Homer watercolor fell flat.
May 4, 2016
I think this book's title is somewhat misleading.
I was expecting a book on international art scandals, and this isn't quite it.
A better title would have been "Some Interesting Stories from My Life As An Art Dealer".
That's what this book is, an art dealer who tells us about some of the interesting things that happened to him in his career. It's a perfectly fine book and I still enjoyed it, but the title over-hypes it as having a much broader spectrum than it actually has.
I was expecting a book on international art scandals, and this isn't quite it.
A better title would have been "Some Interesting Stories from My Life As An Art Dealer".
That's what this book is, an art dealer who tells us about some of the interesting things that happened to him in his career. It's a perfectly fine book and I still enjoyed it, but the title over-hypes it as having a much broader spectrum than it actually has.
January 16, 2012
If you're looking for a light read with a touch of mystery and a touch of art history, this book will probably be satisfying. I, unfortunately, was hoping for more – more about the world of art and its analysis and more about the world of art dealership. I didn’t find this book nearly as edifying as I had hoped. The prose is not very well written and the author’s ego is a bit intrusive.
June 17, 2015
Chatty, intriguing reminiscences from an art dealer who specializes in British historical portraits. Includes descriptions of forgeries, lost masterpieces, thefts, eccentric collectors, and world travels. Someone with a background in art history would probably find this too basic, but I enjoyed it.
September 22, 2010
This book is the "thrill of the hunt" in print with the best possible results,...works of art with historical significance. As someone who enjoys perusing estate sales for the "big find" and art history, this little book was a quick, satisfying read.
July 5, 2025
Really interesting book—it was like reading about treasure hunts, some of pretty epic proportions. Easy to read and humorous. Makes me more interested in art history and what happens to pieces over time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews