The furniture fraud that hoodwinked the Palace of Versailles
In the early 2010s, two ornate chairs said to have once belonged on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles appeared on the French antiques market.Thought to be the most expensive chairs made for the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, they were stamped with the seal of Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, a celebrated menuisier – or carpenter – who worked in Paris in the 1700s.A significant find, the pair were declared "national treasures" by the French government in 2013, at the request of Versailles.The palace, which displays such items in its vast museum collection, expressed an interest in buying the chairs but the price was deemed too dear.They were instead sold to Qatari Prince Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani for an eye-watering €2m (£1.67m).
The chairs made up a remarkable number of 18th-Century royal furniture that had appeared on the antiques market in the past few years.Other items included another set of chairs purported to have sat in one of Marie Antoinette's chambers in Versailles; a separate pair said to have belonged to Madame du Barry, King Louis XV's mistress; the armchair of King Louis XVI's sister, Princess Élisabeth; and a pair of ployants – or stools – that belonged to the daughter of King Louis XV, Princess Louise Élisabeth.Most of these were bought by Versailles to display in its museum collection, while one chair was sold to the wealthy Guerrand-Hermès family.But in 2016, this assortment of royal chairs would become embroiled in a national scandal that would rock the French antiques world, bringing the trade into disrepute.The reason? The chairs were in fact all fakes.The scandal saw one of France's leading antiques experts, Georges "Bill" Pallot, and award-winning cabinetmaker, Bruno Desnoues, put on trial on charges of fraud and money laundering following a nine-year investigation.
Galerie Kraemer and its director, Laurent Kraemer, were also accused of deception by gross negligence for selling on some of the chairs – something they both deny.All three defendants are set to appear at a court in Pontoise, near Paris on Wednesday following a trial in March. Mr Pallot and Mr Desnoues have admitted to their crimes, while Mr Kraemer and his gallery dispute the charge of deception by gross negligence.
It started as a 'joke'
Considered the top scholar on French 18th-Century chairs, having written the authoritative book on the subject, Mr Pallot was often called upon by Versailles, among others, to give his expert opinion on whether historical items were the real deal. He was even called as an expert witness in French courts when there were doubts about an item's authenticity.His accomplice, Mr Desnoues, was a decorated cabinetmaker and sculptor who had won a number of prestigious awards, including best sculptor in France in 1984, and had been employed as the main restorer of furniture at Versailles.Speaking in court in March, Mr Pallot said the scheme started as a "joke" with Mr Desnoues in 2007 to see if they could replicate an armchair they were already working on restoring, belonging to Madame du Barry.Masters of their crafts, they managed the feat, convincing other experts that it was a chair from the period.And buoyed by their success, they started making more.
Describing how they went about constructing the chairs, the two described in court how Mr Pallot sourced wood frames at various auctions for low prices, while Mr Desnoues aged wood at his workshop to make others.They were then sent for gilding and upholstery, before Mr Desnoues added designs and a wood finish. He added stamps from some of the great furniture-workers of the 18th Century, which were either faked or taken from real furniture of the period.Once they were finished, Mr Pallot sold them through middlemen to galleries like Kraemer and one he himself worked at, Didier Aaron. They would then get sold onto auction houses such as Sotheby's of London and Drouot of Paris."I was the head and Desnoues was the hands," Mr Pallot told the court smilingly."It went like a breeze," he added. "Everything was fake but the money."Prosecutors allege the two men made an estimated profit of more than €3m off the forged chairs – though Mr Pallot and Mr Desnoues estimated their profits to be a lower amount of €700,000. The income was deposited in foreign bank accounts, prosecutors said.
Lawyers representing Versailles told the BBC that Mr Pallot, a lecturer at the Sorbonne, managed to deceive the institution because of his "privileged access to the documentation and archives of Versailles and the Louvre Museum as part of his academic research".A statement from lawyer Corinne Hershkovitch's team said that thanks to Mr Pallot's "thorough knowledge" of the inventories of royal furniture recorded as having existed at Versailles in the 18th Century, he was able to determine which items were missing from collections and to then make them with the help of Mr Desnoues.Mr Desnoues also had access to original chairs he had made copies of, they added, "enabling him to produce fakes that had all the visual appearance of an authentic, up to the inventory numbers and period labels"."The fraudulent association between these two professionally accomplished men, recognised by their peers, made it possible to deceive the French institutions that regarded them as partners and to betray their trust, thereby damaging the reputation of Versailles and its curators," they said.Prosecutor Pascal Rayer said the trial highlighted the need for more robust regulation of the art market, and also shone a light on the standards antiques dealers should abide by.The court heard authorities were alerted to the scheme when the lavish lifestyle of a Portuguese man and his partner caught the attention of French authorities.Questioned by police about the acquisition of properties in France and Portugal worth €1.2m while on an income of about €2,500 a month, the man – who it turned out worked as a handyman in Parisian galleries – confessed to his part in working as a middleman who collaborated in the furniture fraud, AFP news agency reported. The money trail then led investigators to Mr Desnoues and Mr Pallot.
A case of deceit by gross negligence?
Some of those originally indicted in the case, including middlemen, later had charges against them dropped.But charges against both Laurent Kraemer and Galerie Kraemer, which sold on some of the forged chairs to collectors such as Versailles and Qatar's Prince al-Thani, were upheld.Prosecutors allege that while the gallery itself may have been duped into first buying the fake pieces, Mr Kraemer and the gallery were "grossly negligent" in failing to sufficiently check the items' authenticity before selling them on to collectors at high prices.
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Mr Rayer said that based on Galerie Kraemer's "reputation and contacts, they could have taken the furniture to Versailles or the Louvre to compare them."They could also have hired other experts given the amounts at stake and considering the opacity on the origin of the chairs."Speaking in court, a lawyer representing Mr Kraemer and the gallery insisted his client "is victim of the fraud, not an accomplice", stating Mr Kraemer never had direct contact with the forgers.In a statement to the BBC, lawyers Martin Reynaud and Mauricia Courrégé added: "The gallery was not an accomplice of the counterfeiters, the gallery did not know the furniture was fake, and it could not have detected it"."Like the Château de Versailles and the specialists who classified the furniture as national treasures, the Kraemer gallery was a victim of the forgers," they added."We are waiting for the judgement to recognise this."The BBC has contacted Mr Pallot's lawyer for comment. The BBC was unable to reach Mr Desnoues or his lawyer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Adrien Rabiot and his MOTHER demand £13,000 in damages from PSG one day after Marseille star won £1.1m legal fight with European champions
Adrien Rabiot is suing his former club Paris Saint-Germain just a day after the France international received €1.3million (£1.1m) in compensation from the European champions. On Thursday, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that Rabiot's series of fixed-term contracts at PSG must be considered as permanent. He was therefore awarded financial compensation for unpaid wages, unused holidays and breach of contract terms. But it seems that the 30-year-old's grievances against a club, with whom he won five French league titles, does not end there. Rabiot, along with his mother and long-time advisor Veronique, are suing PSG for their alleged failure to manage abusive banners and insults from supporters during March's match against Marseille. The match in question was Rabiot's first at Parc des Princes since leaving for Juventus in 2019 and numerous derogatory chants and banners targeting the France international were witnessed at the stadium. The Ligue de Football Professionnel fined PSG €20,000 (£17,000) and imposed a one-match partial stand closure in early April but the Rabiots argue that these sanctions were insufficient. They accuse PSG of failing in its duty to police the stands, which resulted in personal harm. A first hearing is set for November 4, although it may be postponed depending on how PSG respond. Although they are seeking financial compensation, Le Parisien reports that the pair's primary motivation is for a court to acknowledge what they regard as a failure in PSG's duty of care towards them. After March's match against PSG, which Marseille lost 3-1, Rabiot took to social media to highlight the abuse he had received and pointed the finger at PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. 'Insulting a mother, and a deceased father... Everything comes at a price one day,' Rabiot, who played for PSG for nine years, posted on Instagram.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
French plans to stop small boats will lead to more deaths, says charity
Plans by French police to enter the sea to stop small boats carrying UK-bound asylum seekers willcause more deaths and will be challenged in the European courts, a French charity has said. Arthur Dos Santos, the coordinator of the refugee charity Utopia 56, said there would be an increase in the number of people who would take 'desperate' measures to reach the UK. The official, based in Calais, said the charity was examining the possibility of a legal challenge in the European courts to stop the tactics. Government sources have told the Guardian that French police would be authorised to tackle boats within 300 metres of the shore and in nearby waterways. The strategy aims to be ready in time for the Franco-British summit, which begins on 8 July. This coincides with the state visit to London of Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Over the past few days, French police have waded into the sea to stop asylum seekers from boarding boats, increasing speculation that police are already using the tactic. In one incident this week at Gravelines beach near Dunkirk, officers were shown waist deep in water, using CS gas, riot shields and batons, as they attempted to force a boat to return to the beach. Dos Santos said the French plan to harden its tactics against asylum-seekers and smugglers would result in more deaths. 'When police enter the sea, it will cause more deaths, more people will drown as they try to get away before being caught and forced back to the beach. There will be more violence, as some people fight back, and the people attempting to reach England will find other ways to try to get to the UK. This will not stop them, but it will make the crossings much more dangerous,' he said. The scheme is intended to give the French authorities the power to halt dinghies that 'taxi' up to beaches from nearby waterways. Until now, guidelines prevent French police from intervening offshore unless it is to rescue passengers in distress. In practice, the policy means officers can stop boats leaving the beach by puncturing them, but are restricted once they are in the water. Dos Santos said the tactic would face legal challenges in the European courts, with lawyers examining human rights laws and the UN convention on the law of the sea. 'This policy will be taken to the European courts. We will look very closely at this, as will other organisations,' he said. A British charity that operates in France told the Guardian two weeks ago it planed to explore possible legal challenges to stop the tactic. Steve Smith, the chief executive of Care4Calais, said: 'When the last Tory government tried to do pushbacks in the Channel, Care4Calais initiated a legal challenge and won. Any attempt to introduce interceptions in French waters must face the same level of resistance.'
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Urgent warning issued over growing number of migrants paying huge sums to enter UK aboard yachts
Border Force lacks the resources to deal with an increasing number of migrants coming to Britain illegally on yachts, motorboats and trawlers, officials have warned. Growing numbers of migrants are entering the country irregularly by private vessels rather than aboard small boats, a borders trade union said. Lucy Moreton, of the ISU union which represents Border Force staff, said: 'What we are seeing more of now is small yachts being used to transport people. 'They can start from the Brittany coast in France and then sail into one of the small ports around the UK or get dropped off in the water.' The Daily Mail reported last week how a £70,000 six-berth yacht, Tacoma, was hired at a French marina by a man who claimed to be Austrian. He told the owners he planned a pleasure cruise along the Brittany coast – but then headed for Cornwall. The £70,000 six-berth yacht, Tacoma, was hired at a French marina by a man who claimed to be Austrian. He told the owners he planned a pleasure cruise along the Brittany coast – but then headed for Cornwall - with 17 Albanians aboard The Tacoma's owners – monitoring it on a tracker - alerted the UK Border Force who pounced on the yacht as it reached the mouth of the Helford River, near Falmouth, on April 13. Hiding inside the cabin were 17 Albanian migrants, including one woman, hoping to slip illegally into Britain. Ms Moreton said: 'It is now more of a growing issue as the small boat route becomes more and more challenging. 'It's something we have started monitoring more closely, but we simply don't have the staff to do everything.' She went on: 'The problem is, most of the ports in the UK do not have a Border Force officer working at them so it comes down to local police forces and members of the public. 'And the system of boat ownership is very hard to monitor, small boats have transponders switched on to avoid getting hit by bigger boats but they can always switch them off. 'All the unmanned ports have posters which say 'if you see anything which looks suspicious call this number', but that's about it when it comes to security. 'What's happening with small yachts now speaks to the desperation of the people trying to cross the Channel and the pull the UK has.' Fees paid to smuggling gangs to enter the UK on a yacht will be far higher than the amounts charged for a place in a dangerous and ovcercrowded dinghy. Entering Britain clandestinely in a yachts or other small vessel will also be attractive to foreign nationals with a criminal record. Those who have previously made a failed asylum claim here, or have been deported, may also wish to avoid detection by the authorities. Albanian nationals, such as those found aboard the Tacoma, face fast-track removal measures back to their home country under an agreement signed by former home secretary Priti Patel in 2022. In another case in September last year, nine Iranian passengers were caught illegally attempting to enter the UK on board a pleasure boat near Brixham, Devon. Some criminal gangs have been caught in the act attempting to use yachts to cross the Channel by the National Crime Agency (NCA), dubbed 'Britain's FBI'. A Georgian national, Igor Romanovi, was jailed in France in 2023 following an investigation by the NCA and French authorities into an organised crime group suspected of using pleasure boats to smuggle migrants across the Channel. A boat operated by the group was involved in a smuggling run which saw 11 migrants brought to shore in Rye, East Sussex in February 2022. And, in 2021 a different gang was jailed for planning to smuggle 69 Albanian migrants into the UK on a fishing vessel. They had planned to bring in 50 more every week. Small ports and airfields were first identified as a potential weakness in Britain's border security measures as long ago as 2002. Lord Carlile of Berriew KC, then the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, warned they were the 'soft underbelly' of Britain's war against terrorism. Concerns about the vulnerability of Britain's coastline were raised in two reports in 2010 and 2011 by John Vine, the then independent inspector of borders. Both found small ports were at risk from people smuggling. The warnings were repeated by terror watchdog David Anderson in 2017. An NCA spokesman confirmed the 'clandestine manner' of entering Britain may appeal to those with criminal pasts. 'We have seen cases where organised crime groups have used larger maritime vessels, such as fishing boats and yachts, to facilitate entry for migrants,' he said. 'Often these are used by those who may be prepared to pay more to avoid contact with law enforcement, in contrast to small boats where migrants and their smugglers seek contact to enter the asylum system. 'The NCA, alongside our law enforcement partners, have undertaken a number of operations which have seen people involved in this form of people smuggling arrested and prosecuted. 'Bringing people to the UK in this way remains dangerous and also risks our border security. 'Tackling organised immigration crime in all its forms remains a priority for the NCA, and we would ask anyone who lives or works around the coast or in a maritime environment to report suspicious activity to the police.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'We will stop at nothing to dismantle vile people-smuggling gangs, which is why our new maritime directorate within Border Force is explicitly focused on general maritime security to uphold the integrity of the border. 'Through close collaboration across agencies, Border Force will have access to better intelligence, joint operational activity and better engagement with international partners. 'This will ultimately enhance our approach to dealing with irregular migration, including illegal activity involving yachts, and further help to tackle people smuggling gangs.' end
