The Deceivers by Harold Robbins

the great Mediterranean civilizations because they’re linked to our heritage. There’s a diminishing number of pieces on the market because it’s been collected for so long. Now collectors have woken up to the Far East and the fact that Khmer art is among the most splendid on the planet. And that means trouble for the sites in Cambodia, especially the Angkor site. One of the highest achievements of man’s artistic talents is being destroyed to satisfy the greed of collectors.”
    I gave a big sigh. “Thanks, Bolger, just what I needed when everything has gone to hell in my life. Now I can agonize over the loss of irreplaceable cultural treasures. Please tell me what you think about its authenticity before I cut my wrists.”
    He pointed at the pictures. “How do you expect me to tell you anything from pictures?”
    â€œBecause you’re a genius.”
    â€œNow you’ve pressed the right button, girl.”
    â€œJust give me your gut reaction.”
    He went back to examining the pictures.
    I knew his gut reaction was usually as good as most scientific tests. The cost of tests ran into the thousands and often Bolger could study an object with the naked eye and be right most of the time. A lot of people who worked with art could do the same, including me, but since he had worked for decades authenticating pieces at one of the major museums of the world, his frame of reference was infinitely greater than most of us.
    He studied the pictures closely for several more minutes before he said anything. “It looks right … I can see why you think it could be real but are cautious. Faking has become such a fine art nowadays. Even if I had it in front of me, I’d need to study it.”
    â€œWhat’s your gut saying?”
    â€œThe same as yours—it pings as genuine. Even the broken edges appear to be what you’d expect from a piece looted from a temple. But unless you have the actual piece and can put it through the paces, you can be easily fooled, especially by a photograph. Excuse the pun, but the art of faking has turned into a real art with modern techniques.”
    I pursed my lips and nodded. “I read that there are sculptors in Greece, the Middle East, and the Far East who are able to create ancient-looking art that’s difficult to distinguish from the real stuff. Even governments are getting into the picture. The museum in Cambodia’s capital has a workshop that’s turning out realistic-looking fakes for the tourist market.”
    â€œWe both know that it’s usually easy to spot a fake,” Bolger said, “but once in a while a piece shows up that is so good, it’s really hard to tell whether it was created for Julius Caesar or for someone last week.”
    â€œIf it’s a fake, wouldn’t scientific tests show that the sandstone doesn’t match Angkor antiquities?”
    He shook his head. “Forgers get blocks of sandstone from the actual quarries used to build Khmer temples. They paint it with chemical solutions and bury it in Cambodian soil for months. It’s very convincing. As you know, you can’t scientifically age-date a stonework, anyway. Radiocarbon dating only applies to materials like wood which was once living.”
    The kettle whistled on the stove signaling that the water was ready.
    â€œWhy don’t you fix us some tea while I grab a couple of my books.”
    He talked as we leafed through books.
    â€œSince you’ve expressed an ignorance about Khmer art, we’ll start with the name. Cambodia is the name of the country, but the people are mostly of an ethnic heritage called Khmer. A thousand years ago, when Europe was coming out of the Dark Ages, the Khmer Empire had its center at Angkor in what is now central Cambodia. Its kings created the world’s largest religious compound, probably as tributes to themselves as living gods, much like the Egyptian pharaohs