Masterpieces Only

When the exquisite Christ at Emmaus was found in the linen closet of a Paris house (TIME, Sept. 19, 1938) it was one of the big art stories of the decade. It was a soft-colored, realistic painting in the early style of Old Master (17th Century) Jan Vermeer. The Christ was authenticated by impeccable Dutch art experts, and bought by Rotterdam's Boymans Museum. Last week, a Dutch Nazi confessed that he had painted the "Vermeer" himself --and, what's more, had knocked off six others, plus two Pieter de Hooches for good measure. Total reward for his labors: $3,024,000.

The master picture-forger was one Hans van Meegeren, a little-known Dutch artist. Although he worshiped Adolf Hitler, he felt no compunction about unloading a fake on fellow Nazi Hermann Goering. Goering got Christ and the Adulteress in a trade for 173 paintings. One revealing way in which Master-Painter Van Meegeren overshot the mark was by producing so many Vermeers on religious subjects; of all the genuine Vermeers known, the only one that is religious in theme is the Edinburgh National Gallery's Christ with Mary and Martha.

When he made his confession, Van Meegeren was in jail awaiting trial as a collaborator. He is still there, and the full details of his sensational story are still to be checked. One official of the Rotterdam Museum has a theory of his own: Van Meegeren may be a muddy-minded fantast with a grudge against museums. Some Dutch art experts, who stand to lose considerable prestige over the affair, just plain don't believe a word of Van Meegeren's story.

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