Jewelry scam of the century: Israel Ruchomovsky and the tiara of Saytaphern
The talented jeweler Israel Rukhomovskiy was born in Mozyr. But at home for a long time about a man whose works are exhibited in the Louvre, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and exhibited at large London and Paris auctions, they did not know anything.
For the first time, the master gained wide fame thanks to the so-called "scam of the century." The story is connected with the forgery of the ancient tiara of the Scythian king Saitaphern. In 1896 it became part of the Louvre collection. Before purchasing an expensive product, its authenticity was determined by an expert commission, which included prominent archaeologists and scientists. They all believed that the tiara was found on the site of ancient Greek Olbia. For several years, the copy was considered the original.
But soon Mayens Ellin claimed the rights to manufacture the exhibit, which caused a major scandal in the historical community. After the hype in the press, the staff of the Louvre decided to find out the truth. It turned out that Saitaphern's tiara was the handiwork of Israel Rukhomovsky, a native of Mozyr. The jeweler proved his authorship by providing the commission with a recipe for the composition of the alloy and sketches of the scenes depicted on the tiara. When the master recreated an exact copy of the tiara fragment, doubts that it was Israel who created the masterpiece were dispelled.
It turned out that the world-class deception was not part of the plans of the jeweler. Rukhomovsky received an order for the manufacture of a unique item as a gift to an archaeologist from Kharkov from Sh. Gokhman. The jeweler did not even guess about the further fate of the tiara, but was unpleasantly surprised when the truth came to light.
You will learn more about the life and achievements of the Ukrainian master from the video on our YouTube channel.
For the first time, the master gained wide fame thanks to the so-called "scam of the century." The story is connected with the forgery of the ancient tiara of the Scythian king Saitaphern. In 1896 it became part of the Louvre collection. Before purchasing an expensive product, its authenticity was determined by an expert commission, which included prominent archaeologists and scientists. They all believed that the tiara was found on the site of ancient Greek Olbia. For several years, the copy was considered the original.
Photo © mlife.by
But soon Mayens Ellin claimed the rights to manufacture the exhibit, which caused a major scandal in the historical community. After the hype in the press, the staff of the Louvre decided to find out the truth. It turned out that Saitaphern's tiara was the handiwork of Israel Rukhomovsky, a native of Mozyr. The jeweler proved his authorship by providing the commission with a recipe for the composition of the alloy and sketches of the scenes depicted on the tiara. When the master recreated an exact copy of the tiara fragment, doubts that it was Israel who created the masterpiece were dispelled.
It turned out that the world-class deception was not part of the plans of the jeweler. Rukhomovsky received an order for the manufacture of a unique item as a gift to an archaeologist from Kharkov from Sh. Gokhman. The jeweler did not even guess about the further fate of the tiara, but was unpleasantly surprised when the truth came to light.
You will learn more about the life and achievements of the Ukrainian master from the video on our YouTube channel.
Photo © mlife.by
