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Art detective Arthur Brand has recovered scores of stolen works of art, including Picasso's "Buste de femme (Dora Maar)," which is worth about $30 million.
art

Art Detective Arthur Brand Is Like Indiana Jones but With a More Elegant Wardrobe

Mysterious late-night visits, an undercover hunt for Hitler's horses, and a Picasso on the couch are business as usual for the Dutch sleuth.
Nina Strochlic November 19, 2024
Lund, Sweden

(Alleged) Piece of Descartes' Skull

Could this controversial parietal bone be the remains of the famed French philosopher?
This forged Paraguayan passport was one of thousands that helped spare Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
crime

The Master Forgers Who Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II

From the Polish embassy in Switzerland came a campaign that spared many from Nazi extermination.
Nina Strochlic December 4, 2023
churches

Podcast: Demon Wall

The devil's in the details of this disturbing Norwegian church mural.
The Podcast Team August 17, 2023
According to the Musée de l'Homme in Paris and many historians and forensic experts, this is the skull of French philosopher René Descartes. Swedish researchers disagree.
wunderkammers

Was René Descartes a Victim of Skull Blasting?

Centuries after the philosopher’s death, lingering controversy over his remains highlights a macabre practice of profiting from the dead.
Gemma Tarlach October 25, 2021
In a small village in southern Norway, a church wall is filled with thousands of tiny demons—and that's not the oddest thing about the mural.
churches

The Curious Case of Norway’s Disturbing Demon Wall

A respected conservator restoring a centuries-old church mural saw the devil in the details—and created a wholly imagined, diabolical scene.
Gemma Tarlach October 13, 2021
Wortley Trop Forge
Wortley, England

Wortley Top Forge

This industrial museum is based on one of the oldest standing iron forges in the U.K.
The replica trophy.
Manchester, England

Jules Rimet Trophy Replica

The fake World Cup prize was secretly created after the first one was stolen in 1966.
<em>Pieta</em>, one of Michelangelo's most celebrated works, is located in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
art

How a Forged Sculpture Boosted Michelangelo’s Early Career

Fake it 'til you make it.
Mariana Zapata November 1, 2016