French Antiques Experts Convicted in High-Profile Forgery Case

Georges "Bill" Pallot and Bruno Desnoues, two esteemed antiques specialists, have been found guilty of selling counterfeit 18th century chairs purportedly owned by French royalty. While they face sentences, another involved party was acquitted, raising questions about market oversight in France’s antiques sector.

Two prominent French antiques experts, Georges "Bill" Pallot and Bruno Desnoues, have been convicted for their involvement in a major forgery scandal involving historic chairs purportedly owned by French royals, including Marie Antoinette. The court in Pontoise, north of Paris, sentenced Pallot and Desnoues to four months in prison and further suspended sentences, alongside hefty fines of €200,000 (£169,500) and €100,000, respectively. Given their prior four months of pre-trial detention, neither will serve additional time behind bars.

An accomplice, Laurent Kraemer, was acquitted of negligence for selling the chairs without adequately verifying their authenticity. His gallery maintained its innocence throughout the lengthy proceedings, claiming it had been misled by the counterfeiters. The ruling brings to a close a nine-year investigation that has sent ripples through the antique community in France, highlighting potential gaps in market regulation.

Pallot, a once-respected scholar in 18th-century French chairs and lecturer at Sorbonne University, had exploited his knowledge to fabricate replicas that he sold to collectors, including the Qatari royal family. Demonstrating how the scheme operated, he stated in court: “I was the head and Desnoues was the hands.” The prosecution emphasized the broader ramifications of the case, calling for more stringent regulations to ensure transparency in the art market.

This conviction sheds light on the hidden complexities within France's antique trade and raises concerns about trust and authenticity. The saga follows ongoing investigations into other antiquities fraud cases in recent years, including the late Jean Lupu, further unraveling the murky dealings that have persisted in this niche world.