Someone got their Dremel out.....

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58518/undercover-art-6-paintings-were-hiding-something
Picasso was, however, known to recycle a canvas previously painted by either himself or someone else. I am sure there have been Picasso level paintings found in an attic somewhere and painted over by someone who did not care for such rubbish. Fads change. In the 1970's we stripped the white paint off wooden furniture to reveal the way it looked before it was painted in the 1930's. Sometimes we would strip off paint that was original and discover that different kinds of wood had been cobbled together so the piece needed to be painted. Today, white cabinets are back in style so the pieces stripped 50 years ago may be painted again. If I were to decide to be a painter, should I buy a fresh canvas at an art store for $10 or reuse one from a yard sale that cost $1? Have you heard of people finding 'old masters' at yard sales? Could I improve a previous canvas by painting over it. Probably not. Might I try? Apparently Picasso did. It is good that I do not fancy myself to be Picasso. Paintings, like coins, are cleaned, restored and improved with varying degrees of success. I trust most have seen this:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/01/04/artworks-destroyed/

 

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This one individual has sold about 100 tooled bronze coins in the last month. They have developed a little niche for themselves churning these things out through ebay with coins selling for between £35 and £250 each.

These must be appealing to someone out there as they are selling.

 

Edward Scissorhands?

 

I love your sarcasm, and especially your use of someone else's comment to express it !!

 

tooled, smoothed and repatinaded. poor Hadrian & Diana

 

New hairstyle for this commodus now in auction, many offers on it. I simply don’t understand.

 

The same seller as before

Claudius




Antoninus Pius




Marcus Aurelius






Maximinus Thrax

 

Showing pictures of the atrocities gives us part of the sad story, but what is the seller SAYING about these pieces? Does he call it restoration, or cleaning, or reclaiming, or freshening, or what? Do his words suggest he thinks he is somehow improving on what time in the ground has done, or is he simply acting to make an ancient artifact more palatable to a disinterested modern taste? What is his angle? Is he perhaps persuaded that a modified authentic original is still authentically ancient and therefore "authentic" in what matters most to his clients?

 

They used playdough....

 

What does the seller say about these? Does he disclose anything, or pretend that they're original?

 

I feel if you’re going to tool, at least do it well. On the bright side, the abhorrent talent of the “celator” means that none of us will be tricked...

 

They are generally desribed as:-

Heavily cleaned - partially smoothed - repatinated - dark green

Original, guaranteed

 

Kind of like a Hobo Roman Coin?