ON THE QUESTION OF THE SCIENTIFIC ATTRIBUTION OF PAINTED PANELS FROM THE TILE-MAJOLICA FACTORY OF BRONISLAW LISOWSKI IN THE CONTEXT OF THE “DEVELOPMENT OF A METHODOLOGY FOR CONDUCTING FORENSIC ART HISTORICAL EXPERTISE OF ANTIQUE TERRACOTTA, TILE, FAIENCE,

Abstract

The article is devoted to an art-historical analysis and critique of an official expert conclusion issued in the aggressor state and presented to confirm the authenticity of a painted ceramic tile panel (medallion) produced at the tile and majolica factory of B. Ya. Lisovsky in Vitebsk. The products of this enterprise, examples of which today, according to current Ukrainian legislation, by virtue of their age, rarity, and high artistic quality, are classified as cultural property. Along with the products of a number of other manufacturers, the works of the aforementioned enterprise are being studied within the framework of a research project conducted by specialists of the Odesa Research Institute of Forensic Expertise entitled “Development of a Methodology for Conducting Art-Historical Expertise of Antique Terracotta, Tile, Faience, and Majolica Stoves and Fireplaces with Regard to Their Attribution as Cultural Property of Historical, Artistic, Ethnographic, and Scientific Significance.” Using the examined painted tile panels as examples, the materials of the article not only introduce several examples of highly artistic works by ceramic masters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries found in the territories of the present-day Baltic states, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine, but also demonstrate how easily an expert may become confused and produce an erroneous conclusion regarding the precise attribution of a particular work. A careful study of the works submitted for examination is a prerequisite for issuing an unambiguous conclusion which, in accordance with modern requirements, should take the form of a comprehensive scholarly investigation. Such research may yield unexpected results that could prove valuable for the development of contemporary art-historical thought.