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Why can incorrect iconography reveal that an ancient artwork is a forgery?

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Hear about William Henry Ireland's fake manuscripts of William Shakespeare including a letter written to his wife — Forgery A look at a letter supposedly written by William Shakespeare to his wife, Anne Hathaway; it was, in fact, faked by William-Henry Ireland.

In the context of art forgery, incorrect iconography serves as a critical indicator of a fake because forgers frequently lack the deep scholarly background required to synthesize complex symbolic elements accurately.

Iconography involves the identification and interpretation of symbols, themes, and subject matter within visual arts. When creating an ancient work, a forger must align these elements with the specific historical, religious, or cultural context of the period they are attempting to replicate. Because forgers often prioritize surface-level aesthetics over historical precision, they frequently make errors in combining these symbolic motifs. These inconsistencies betray the work's modern origin, as they fail to reflect the authentic, nuanced symbolic language that would be present in a genuine artifact from that era.1