18 th century furniture sold in auction is made today

In the French Jura, a cabinetmaker and an auctioneer are suspected of having sold copies of antique furniture at a high price. The damage is counted in hundreds of thousands of euros for the buyers. These are some details that have finally attracted the attention of experts, after a decade of activity. Dominique Mallo is a winegrower and lover of old objects. A few years ago, he bought two coffee tables at auction, sold as being from the eighteenth century. "I bought this one in 2019, stamped with Nicolas Petit, for around 8,000 euros." He was convinced that he had acquired real antiques, made by renowned craftsmen - Nicolas Petit was one of the most famous master cabinetmakers of the eighteenth century. 
But a few months ago, a letter from the court informed him of an ongoing case on fake furniture from that period. The enthusiast had his two pieces appraised, which quickly told him "that everything is fake, from one end to the other, whether it's the plating, the locks, the bronzes, the box, nothing is eighteenth".  Anomalies that have been noted for a long time Dominique bought these counterfeit 250 kilometres from his vineyards in Alsace, at the Jura auction house.
Ten years ago, the Swiss art dealer Luca Bizzozero attended a sale, very quickly spotted anomalies. For example, on the wood of a chest of drawers described as dating from the eighteenth century, he notes "traces of a circular saw"... a tool that would not be invented until the following century. He wrote several times to the auctioneer of the auction house, as he explains to TF1, but has received no response.  It was in 2020 that an investigation was finally opened. The auction house was searched and the auctioneer was taken into custody. A retired cabinetmaker is accused of having made the fake furniture, which was then sold in the auction room. According to Pierre Bourgeois, an expert specializing in art and collectibles, it was impossible for a professional to be wrong about the quality of the furniture. The damage to the buyers of the furniture in the Jura auction room could reach a total of one million euros, if it is proven. seen in TF1
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