6. Van Meegeren developed a new technique to “age” his forgeries
When a forger “ages’ a painting he really does nothing more than deceive the experts to accept the work as older than it really is. Aging a 19th century painting meant making it appear to have existed for two centuries by simulating the passage of time. Van Meegeren started the process by purchasing 17th century paintings of little comparative value and washing the paint from the canvas. His forgeries always appeared on canvas of the proper age, and thus of the proper material. When mixing his paints he added phenol-formaldehyde, a component of the recently discovered early plastic, Bakelite. The Bakelite hardened the paints to the condition of the perceived age over the expended period of time. Tests to detect its presence did not exist in the early 20th century.
The finished paintings were baked at low temperatures, over several hours, further hardening the paint. Van Meegeren then rolled the paintings over drums, creating the cracks which emerge in paintings as they endure the ravages of time. Finally, he washed the paintings with India Ink, filling in the cracks. The aging process created an image of a painting which appeared to have been from the 17th century. Still, it remained Van Meegeren’s skill as an artist and student of the master whose works he forged as the most critical factor in deceiving the experts. His process only helped to succeed in convincing the experts that his forgeries were genuine. In this manner, he created forgeries attributed to Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch, and several others, fooling experts and collectors alike.