Object lesson
13 September 2012
Legal column
As the stockmarket begins to look less solid, investors are considering putting their money in ‘things’. We examine the legal intricacies of buying fine art and antiques
I acted recently for a Texan millionaire who paid £1.5 million for what he had been told by the seller, a reputable Bond Street dealer, was a Van Dyck painting.
The Court found the painting was not by the master, but the Texan lost his case.
The Judge found that the seller had an honestly-held belief that the painting was by Van Dyck and therefore could...