Analysing your painting with honesty.

Style and period. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The market for paintings is dominated by false attributions, technical forgeries using aged materials, and attributed works that were never painted by the named artist. A painting attributed to a Dutch Master from the 17th century can fetch €50,000 to €500,000, but the same style by an unknown painter brings only €500 to €2,000. This hundredfold difference is not unusual. AntiqBot analyses undercraquelure patterns, pigment composition, canvas weave structure, and paint signatures of renowned artists with the same rigour that museum experts employ. Authentication expertise demands knowledge of style periods, technical methods, and material awareness built through decades of practice. Dutch Masters, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Joos de Momper, are top priority for forgers. Their subjects, body postures, colour palettes, and brushwork are so well-known that the average collector misses the nuances. Rembrandt's sfumato technique, his characteristic grey backgrounds, and his layered construction of light and shadow have been reproduced thousands of times by technically skilled forgers.

AntiqBot recognises the fine details that forgers cannot replicate: fibre-point distance in brushstrokes, undercraquelure angles of 35-45 degrees, pigment oxidation consistent with 350 years of ageing, and paint signatures used only in specific periods. Composite pigments such as cobalt blue were not used before 1800; their presence proves inauthenticity. Museums and private collections rely on chemical analysis (X-ray, infrared reflectography), material dating (C14), and art-historical comparison. For 16th and 17th-century paintings, undercraquelure is the most reliable authentication criterion; 19th-century works require pigment analysis. Oil paintings have characteristic craquelure patterns that depend on oil type (linseed oil, poppy oil), pigment particle size, climate, and support material. Canvases of hemp, flax, and cotton have different fat content and ageing patterns. A painting from 1680 on linen shows different moisture migration effects than the same work on hemp. Experienced art dealers recognise these subtleties immediately.

That is why AntiqBot deliberately limits itself to style analysis. We identify period, technique, support material, and general condition, the elements a photograph genuinely reveals. We do not attribute works to specific artists, we do not verify signatures, and we do not provide legally binding valuations. More than 60% of paintings offered in Belgium as antique or as work by a known master are not authentic. That is not an assumption, it is the reality of the market, confirmed by every experienced dealer. The market values authentic Old Masters exponentially higher than later imitations; accurate distinction is therefore essential for any valuation. We do not take that risk through photograph alone. And neither should you.

When you need to go further.

If AntiqBot indicates an interesting style period or technique, that is the moment to consult a specialised art dealer or sworn appraiser. They carry out a physical inspection, the only thing that truly counts with paintings. For oil paintings that are potentially 17th or 18th century, X-ray examination, infrared reflectography, or C14 dating is often necessary. These techniques reveal underpaintings, pentimenti (changes by the artist), and the original composition beneath later restorations.

AntiqBot gives you the first filter: know whether your painting is worth pursuing further. That saves you time and money. Many paintings offered as "antique" at flea markets and in estates are 19th or 20th-century copies or decorative pieces with limited market value (€50-€500). A quick style analysis by AntiqBot prevents you from investing hundreds of euros in a professional appraisal of a piece that does not justify that investment.