Chosen problems in forensic examining of signatures placed on paintings

Abstract

In the context of current forensic knowledge and practice, using the handwriting analysis method to examine a painter’s signature does not give rise to any objections. It allows such an examination to be more transparent. The article presents a certain specificity which characterizes painter signatures. Such distinctions reveal themselves at various stages of analysis: examining the location of the questioned signature; qualifying examination of the questioned signature; determining the scope of handwriting features considered under the examination; determining the range of variability in handwriting characteristics in the comparative material; determining the degree of variability in the same characteristics in the questioned signature. The article also raises the issue of experts’ competencies, particularly significant in examining painting signatures.