Ruling the Roost? - LAW v. SCIENCE

The subject at hand, no pun intended here, is the science of handwriting analysis and its continuing evolvement throughout the legal system. Chronicling the ebb and flow of this science, Dr. John Daab, fine art fraud investigator and researcher, has written Art Forensics: Handwriting Analysis, clarifying what is now acceptable in a court of law and what is not.

When it comes to fine art, the necessity of making certain that what you purchased or are purchasing is authentic and actually signed by the artist, may be determined by forensic science and the expertise of a credited handwriting analyst and ultimately the courts.

Using as an example, the recent investigations conducted by Fine Art Registry® featuring videos of handwriting analysis. Signatures by Salvador Dali were being questioned as to their authenticity on a number of his works. Beginning with accepted examples of the artist’s original signature and comparing it to the questionable is merely the starting point. There are at least 7 points that must be closely adhered to. All of these points are delineated in this article and expounded upon.

Using specific court cases, Dr. Daab reveals the bumpy road that forensic science of handwriting analysis has traveled over the past and is still encountering today. At this point in time the courts require expert witnesses to have impeccable credentials and to abide by the strict set of rules imposed when it comes to accepting expert testimony, all of which is spelled out in the article.

Unfortunately, nothing is set in stone and the courts, because of the adversarial setting, are prone to change the status. But one thing is certain, when it comes to Law versus Science, the Law always wins!

Be sure to read this enlightening article at www.fineartregistry.com.