Dyes and Pigments 207 (2022) 110755 Available online 22 September 2022 0143-7208/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The forger’s identikit: A multi-technique characterization of Pippo Oriani’s fake paintings C. Manfriani a, 1, 2 , M. Zuena b, 2 , L. Ruggiero b , C. Lucarelli c , S. Ridolfi d , L. Tortora c , A. Sodo b, * a Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Universit` a degli Studi Roma Tre, Piazza della, Repubblica 10, 00185, Rome, Italy b Laboratorio di Spettroscopia Raman, Dipartimento di Scienze, Universit` a degli studi di Roma3, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146, Roma, Italy c Laboratorio Analisi Superfici, INFN Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146, Roma, Italy d Ars Mensurae srl, Via Comparini 101, 00188, Roma, Italy A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Multi-technique characterization Pigments Dyes Authentication Oriani Fakes ABSTRACT This work is part of a multi-disciplinary study aimed at creating the first scientific database to support the future authentication of paintings on the art market. In particular, five fake paintings attributed to the Italian painter Pippo Oriani (1909–1972) have been characterized. Since no scientific literature concerning the material composition used by the artist is available, the five paintings were studied with a multi-technique approach aiming at better understanding the forgery process. The obtained results can be used in the future as a first step to support the authentication of Oriani’s artworks on the art market. In particular, it allows to evaluate the con- sistency of data obtained from future scientific investigations on Oriani’s artwork with the forgery process re- ported in the present database. Non-invasive diagnostic tools, such as UV imaging, IR and IR-false colour photography, XRF, μ-Raman and FTIR spectroscopies have been used to fully characterize the fake paintings. The combination of these techniques led to obtaining useful information on the support preparation method, the pictorial materials, and the execution technique of the artist/forger(s). A wide range of inorganic pigments and organic dyes have been detected, together with the use of oil and wax as binders. The results revealed a strong similarity among the different paintings, thus supporting the idea that the forger(s) knew very well the original Oriani’s pictorial technique. The detailed identification of all the materials used in the forgery process for Oriani’s fake paintings will help to support the authentication of other ambiguous paintings in future cases. 1. Introduction Every year, thousands of fake or counterfeit artworks appear on the national and international art market with an important economic and cultural impact. Between 2017 and 2019, the Italian Command of Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), a specialized and dedicated police force, seized 46,168 fake artworks for an estimated economic amount of 250,000,000 €. In 2019, about 61% of the illegal goods (for a total of 663 objects) belonged to contemporary art, the most interesting market for criminal organizations, besides the most remu- nerative [1–3]. The diffusion and importance of this phenomenon are confirmed by the presence of numerous published works on the topic and by the relevance of the sociological and economic implications of art fakes [4–8]. One of the main approaches to control the illegal market is art authentication [9]. Modern authentication methods are based on the synergic combination of different competencies and skills. Art histo- rians, conservators, archaeometry experts, and scientists work together to investigate the objects from a historical, artistic, material, and legal point of view. Provenance and stylistic studies, materials and techno- logical analysis are mandatory steps to evaluate object authenticity [10–12]. The characterization of materials can give information on the pictorial techniques, essential for a comparison between authentic and fake artworks and may give an important contribution to work of art * Corresponding author. Dipartimento di Scienze, Universit`a degli studi di Roma3, Via della vasca navale 84, 00146, Rome, Italy. E-mail addresses: chiara.manfriani@unifi.it (C. Manfriani), martina.zuena@uniroma3.it (M. Zuena), ludovica.ruggiero@gmail.com (L. Ruggiero), 90chiaraluc@ gmail.com (C. Lucarelli), stefano@arsmensurae.it (S. Ridolfi), luca.tortora@uniroma3.it (L. Tortora), armida.sodo@uniroma3.it (A. Sodo). 1 Present address: Dipartimento DAGRI, Universit` a degli Studi di Firenze, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. 2 equal contribution. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Dyes and Pigments journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dyepig https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2022.110755 Received 22 April 2022; Received in revised form 13 September 2022; Accepted 14 September 2022