Jardine Lloyd Thompson : JLT comments on Sotheby's painting forgery

07 October 2016

• Auction house reassesses painting worth nearly £9m as forgery

Commenting on the news today that an £8.4m painting sold by Sotheby's as the work of Dutch artist Frans Hals been assessed as fake, Daniel Smith from JLT's Fine Art, Jewellery and Specie team, said 'I think it will come as a surprise to collectors that in many cases they won't be able to claim against their insurance if they discover their piece of art is a forgery. However there are certain policies that can cover this, and although the take-up of this sort of policy is relatively low, I think we'll start to see a significant increase as the possibility of more forged Old Masters are uncovered.

'We think dealers and galleries would be wise to be on the front-foot by looking at ways of protecting themselves against this kind of activity in the future. Although dealers can purchase professional indemnity insurance to cover them for being sued by a customer as a result of a forgery, the costly nature of this policy means that most don't bother with it. In light of this recent issue as well as a number of similar high-profile forgery cases this year, I would urge dealers to consider safeguarding themselves against the impact - both in terms of money and reputation - that cases such as these can have on their business.'

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Notes to editors

About Jardine Lloyd Thompson

Jardine Lloyd Thompson is one of the world's leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services. JLT's client proposition is built upon its deep specialist knowledge, client advocacy, tailored advice and service excellence.
JLT is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and owns offices in 40 territories with more than 10,600 employees. Supported by the JLT International Network, it offers risk management and employee benefit solutions in 135 countries.

For further information about JLT, please visit our website www.jlt.com.

About JLT Specialty

JLT Specialty Limited (JLT Specialty) is a specialist insurance broker and risk consultant, providing market leading industry knowledge and expertise in specialist fields to some of the world's largest companies.

JLT Specialty is part of the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group of companies (JLT), one of the world's leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services. JLT's client proposition is built upon its deep specialist knowledge, client advocacy, tailored advice and service excellence.

For further information about JLT Specialty, please visit our website www.jltspecialty.com