technology.........

ok, so i found this article fascinating...

Software to hunt down faked masterpieces
Monday, November 22, 2004 Posted: 6:56 PM EST (2356 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- True art would never be mistaken for a crude, paint-by-the-numbers copy. But a researcher has developed a statistical tool for determining whether a purported masterpiece is only a skilled imitation, suggesting that art may be a numbers game after all.

Using high-resolution digital images and complex mathematical formulas, associate professor Hany Farid of Dartmouth College analyzed works by Renaissance artists to determine their authenticity.

His computer program was able to accurately separate eight drawings by 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder from five drawings by imitators. It also found that portions of a painting by Italian artist Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, known as Perugino, were probably done by Perugino's apprentices.

Farid described his work, presented Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, as "simply another tool that is contributing to the dialogue of art authenticating" and said more work is needed before digital analysis of art could be done on a wider scale.

the last mystery novel i read dealt with the forging of masterpieces....this sort of technology could put forgers...or at least mystery writers who dable in forgery..out of business.......