Sawt Falasteen - French art expert on trial over forged furniture at Versailles

After one of the biggest forgery scandals to rock the art world in recent years, 61-year-old expert Bill Pallot along with five other people as well as a prominent gallery are in the dock in Pontoise, a town north of Paris.

Pallot and woodcarver Bruno Desnoues are accused of producing and selling chairs that were falsely claimed to be historic pieces that once adorned the rooms of the likes of Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, or Queen Marie-Antoinette.

Customers duped by the pieces included the Palace of Versailles along with wealthy collectors including a Qatari prince.

Continuing unnoticed for years, the scam caused an estimated 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million) in damage.

When the scandal erupted in 2016, the ministry of culture swiftly ordered an audit of Versailles's acquisitions policy.

Known for his distinctive long hair and three-piece suits, Pallot has been described by magazine Vanity Fair as "the world's leading expert on the works of 18th-century France", while Paris Match branded him "the Bernard Madoff of art".

"Indeed, Versailles's decision to purchase the chairs hinged on Pallot's blessing," Vanity Fair said in 2018.

"And based on Pallot's imprimatur, the government classified two of his fake lots as national treasures."

During an investigation, Desnoues's wife described the antiques world her husband worked in as "a detestable environment, where antique dealers want to make money at any cost".

More than 200,000 euros in cash were discovered during a search of Desnoues's home.

"I'm into work and sculpture," he said. "I've never been passionate about money."

The trial's opening day zeroed in on the case of a Portuguese couple whose lavish lifestyle had caught the attention of French authorities and led to the scam's unravelling.

Investigators found the couple, who declared a monthly income of no more than 2,500 euros, possessed assets worth 1.2 million euros. In addition to their home in France, they owned several apartments in Portugal.

The man turned out to be a handyman for Parisian art galleries and collaborated with Desnoues.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST