Lord of the manor 'tried to sell fake Lowry for £330,000 at meeting in Ritz hotel'
A lord of the manor tricked an art dealer into buying a fake L.S. Lowry painting for £330,000 at a meeting in his room at London's Ritz hotel.
A lord of the manor tricked an art dealer into buying a fake L.S. Lowry painting for £330,000 at a meeting in his room at London's Ritz hotel.
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Lord Maurice Taylor - who also calls himself Lord Windsor - convinced the dealer the painting known as Mill Street Scene was genuine by revealing it had been given an auction value of £450,000 by Bonhams Auctioneers, Chester Crown Court was told.
But when David Smith, Managing Director of Neptune Fine Arts, checked with another dealer after paying over most of the cash, he discovered the picture was a well-known forgery on the Manchester art scene, said Sion Ap Mihangel, prosecuting.
Lord Maurice Taylor - who also calls himself Lord Windsor - convinced the dealer the painting known as Mill Street Scene was genuine by revealing it had been given an auction value of £450,000 by Bonhams Auctioneers, Chester Crown Court was told.
But when David Smith, Managing Director of Neptune Fine Arts, checked with another dealer after paying over most of the cash, he discovered the picture was a well-known forgery on the Manchester art scene, said Sion Ap Mihangel, prosecuting.
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Lord Taylor, 60, who lives in a mansion near Congleton, Cheshire, told a number of dealers including Mr Smith that he had bought the painting from a Manchester industrialist named Eddie Rossenfield in the early 1970s.
But in fact he had purchased it in 2004 from a dealer called Martin Heaps for £7,500, knowing it was not an original, said Mr Ap Mihangel.
Members of the jury were shown the painting, a snowy mill scene with 'matchstick figures' in the foreground.
It may have looked like a Lowry - but in fact it as only 'in the style of' and Lord Taylor must have been aware of the fact, the jury was told.
Lord Taylor, 60, who lives in a mansion near Congleton, Cheshire, told a number of dealers including Mr Smith that he had bought the painting from a Manchester industrialist named Eddie Rossenfield in the early 1970s.
But in fact he had purchased it in 2004 from a dealer called Martin Heaps for £7,500, knowing it was not an original, said Mr Ap Mihangel.
Members of the jury were shown the painting, a snowy mill scene with 'matchstick figures' in the foreground.
It may have looked like a Lowry - but in fact it as only 'in the style of' and Lord Taylor must have been aware of the fact, the jury was told.
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Lord Taylor denies six counts of fraud and one of forging an invoice to cover his tracks.
David Smith, the alleged victim of the swindle, told the court he specialises in the fine arts, especially paintings by Lowry.
Lord Taylor denies six counts of fraud and one of forging an invoice to cover his tracks.
David Smith, the alleged victim of the swindle, told the court he specialises in the fine arts, especially paintings by Lowry.
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Towards the end of 2007 he was tipped off by a dealer in fine arts in London that a
'Lord Windsor' was interested in selling the Mill Street Scene.
'I met him at the Ritz in London with his wife,' said Mr Smith. 'He said he had had it valued at Bonham's auction house in London and it was to appear in a forthcoming sale.
Towards the end of 2007 he was tipped off by a dealer in fine arts in London that a
'Lord Windsor' was interested in selling the Mill Street Scene.
'I met him at the Ritz in London with his wife,' said Mr Smith. 'He said he had had it valued at Bonham's auction house in London and it was to appear in a forthcoming sale.
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'He showed me a reference to the painting in a blue-bound document and produced it from a black briefcase. I decided to buy it there and then because the whole scenario was convincing.
'He showed me a reference to the painting in a blue-bound document and produced it from a black briefcase. I decided to buy it there and then because the whole scenario was convincing.
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'It was made very easy to buy it. After going back to my home address I later provided my bank details and some of the money was transferred into Taylor's bank account at Coutts in the Strand.
'It was made very easy to buy it. After going back to my home address I later provided my bank details and some of the money was transferred into Taylor's bank account at Coutts in the Strand.
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'I then went to his home to pay a further £200,000 by bankers draft at his home in Cheshire.
'It was a sprawling Cheshire mansion with nice furniture and paintings on the walls. I had no concerns about the status of the painting as a Lowry.'
It was only when he had paid over a total of £230,000 that Mr Smith emailed an image of the picture to an expert in Manchester, asking for his views.
He received a phone call back to say that 'it has been painted by someone to look like a Lowry painting'.
Mr Smith was 'devastated,' he told the court. He asked for his money back - to no avail - and he never received the picture.
'I then went to his home to pay a further £200,000 by bankers draft at his home in Cheshire.
'It was a sprawling Cheshire mansion with nice furniture and paintings on the walls. I had no concerns about the status of the painting as a Lowry.'
It was only when he had paid over a total of £230,000 that Mr Smith emailed an image of the picture to an expert in Manchester, asking for his views.
He received a phone call back to say that 'it has been painted by someone to look like a Lowry painting'.
Mr Smith was 'devastated,' he told the court. He asked for his money back - to no avail - and he never received the picture.
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The prosecution claim that when Taylor bought the painting in 2004 from Martin Heaps he collected it from another dealer called Ivan Aird - an expert who had known the painter.
An invoice had been prepared setting out the status of the painting as an 'after Lowry', meaning a copy.
The prosecution claim that when Taylor bought the painting in 2004 from Martin Heaps he collected it from another dealer called Ivan Aird - an expert who had known the painter.
An invoice had been prepared setting out the status of the painting as an 'after Lowry', meaning a copy.
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But it is claimed Lord Taylor altered the invoice to delete the 'after Lowry' and alter the sale price to £8,000, so that his swindle would not be discovered.
Lord Taylor is accused duping a representative of Bonhams and also of Halcyon Gallery before his fraud on Mr Smith.
But it is claimed Lord Taylor altered the invoice to delete the 'after Lowry' and alter the sale price to £8,000, so that his swindle would not be discovered.
Lord Taylor is accused duping a representative of Bonhams and also of Halcyon Gallery before his fraud on Mr Smith.
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He will claim he told 'little white lies' to Bonhams and David Smith about the painting being bought in the 1970s, but only because 'it sounded better'.
Lord Taylor claims he bought the painting from Ivan Aird and because Aird owed him 'big time' he sold him an original.
He will claim he told 'little white lies' to Bonhams and David Smith about the painting being bought in the 1970s, but only because 'it sounded better'.
Lord Taylor claims he bought the painting from Ivan Aird and because Aird owed him 'big time' he sold him an original.
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He claims Aird changed the invoice and pocketed £500 during the transaction - which Aird denies.
He claims Aird changed the invoice and pocketed £500 during the transaction - which Aird denies.
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Fraud trial told painting was 'best ever' fake
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http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Fraud-trial-told-painting-best-fake/article-733434-detail/article.html
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A FINE art dealer told a court an LS Lowry-style painting at the centre of a fraud trial is the best copy he has ever seen.
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Maurice George Taylor, aged 60, is charged with six counts of fraud relating to a Lowry-style mill street scene painting. He is also charged with one count of forgery relating to an invoice.
Taylor denies knowing the painting was a copy when he sold it for £330,000 to fine art dealer David Smith.
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At Chester Crown Court yesterday, Lowry painting specialist Ivan Aird told a jury he was impressed with the painting, but there was a good chance it was not an original.
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The court heard that Mr Aird had known Taylor, of Kermincham, near Congleton, for around six years and had sold him a number of paintings including a Lowry drawing and oil painting.
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Mr Aird said: "I first became aware of the painting around 20 years ago. It could only be sold 'in the manner of' which means it wasn't an original.
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"It had nothing with it. No history. No papers stating where it had been exhibited. It's like having a car with no tax, MOT or log book."
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Mr Aird told the court there were a number of aspects to the painting that were not quite right, such as the way the figures bend, the harshness of colour in places and the feature of a lamp post.
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He said: "It's got a red lamp post in it and I had never seen a red lamp post in any of Lowry's work so I thought it could never be a Lowry.
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"But then I saw a red lamp post in another Lowry original so you just don't know.
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"Every artist can do different variations and Lowry's style did change over the years.
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"If it is a copy, though, it's the best copy I've ever seen in my life."
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Taylor claims that when he bought the mill street scene painting from an art dealer called Martin Heaps, the sale was facilitated by Mr Aird and Mr Aird changed the invoice to pocket £500.
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Mr Aird denied this and said the only involvement he had was that he allowed Mr Heaps to drop off the painting at his home for Taylor to look at.
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Sion Ap Mihangel, prosecuting, said: "When the defendant produced what looked like the original receipt for the sale of the painting, the word 'after' had been removed and the £7,500 had been scribbled out and replaced with £8,000.
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"It will be suggested that it was you who altered the invoice."
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But Mr Aird told the court: "Mr Heaps sent an invoice in an email to me.
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"Taylor printed off the invoice. He always used to use my computer. I just left him alone.
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He said he told Taylor about the painting because he knew he liked Lowrys.
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"I said it hadn't got any history so there was a good chance it wasn't a Lowry but if it ended up with history and turned out to be a Lowry he would have won the lottery."
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The trial continues.
Fraud trial told painting was 'best ever' fake
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http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Fraud-trial-told-painting-best-fake/article-733434-detail/article.html
-
A FINE art dealer told a court an LS Lowry-style painting at the centre of a fraud trial is the best copy he has ever seen.
-
Maurice George Taylor, aged 60, is charged with six counts of fraud relating to a Lowry-style mill street scene painting. He is also charged with one count of forgery relating to an invoice.
Taylor denies knowing the painting was a copy when he sold it for £330,000 to fine art dealer David Smith.
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At Chester Crown Court yesterday, Lowry painting specialist Ivan Aird told a jury he was impressed with the painting, but there was a good chance it was not an original.
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The court heard that Mr Aird had known Taylor, of Kermincham, near Congleton, for around six years and had sold him a number of paintings including a Lowry drawing and oil painting.
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Mr Aird said: "I first became aware of the painting around 20 years ago. It could only be sold 'in the manner of' which means it wasn't an original.
-
"It had nothing with it. No history. No papers stating where it had been exhibited. It's like having a car with no tax, MOT or log book."
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Mr Aird told the court there were a number of aspects to the painting that were not quite right, such as the way the figures bend, the harshness of colour in places and the feature of a lamp post.
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He said: "It's got a red lamp post in it and I had never seen a red lamp post in any of Lowry's work so I thought it could never be a Lowry.
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"But then I saw a red lamp post in another Lowry original so you just don't know.
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"Every artist can do different variations and Lowry's style did change over the years.
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"If it is a copy, though, it's the best copy I've ever seen in my life."
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Taylor claims that when he bought the mill street scene painting from an art dealer called Martin Heaps, the sale was facilitated by Mr Aird and Mr Aird changed the invoice to pocket £500.
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Mr Aird denied this and said the only involvement he had was that he allowed Mr Heaps to drop off the painting at his home for Taylor to look at.
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Sion Ap Mihangel, prosecuting, said: "When the defendant produced what looked like the original receipt for the sale of the painting, the word 'after' had been removed and the £7,500 had been scribbled out and replaced with £8,000.
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"It will be suggested that it was you who altered the invoice."
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But Mr Aird told the court: "Mr Heaps sent an invoice in an email to me.
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"Taylor printed off the invoice. He always used to use my computer. I just left him alone.
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He said he told Taylor about the painting because he knew he liked Lowrys.
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"I said it hadn't got any history so there was a good chance it wasn't a Lowry but if it ended up with history and turned out to be a Lowry he would have won the lottery."
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The trial continues.
