Who was Han van Meegeren and how did he forge paintings attributed to Johannes Vermeer?

Han van Meegeren (1889–1947) was a Dutch painter who gained notoriety for creating and selling sophisticated forgeries of works by Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch. Feeling that his own artistic talents had been unfairly overlooked by critics, he sought to prove his skill by successfully deceiving the art world.1

Van Meegeren employed a "composite" forgery technique, which involved combining elements—such as heads, hands, figures, and objects—from various genuine early Vermeer paintings to construct entirely new compositions. His most famous forgery, The Supper at Emmaus, was hailed by scholars as a masterpiece and the earliest known work by Vermeer.21

His activities were only revealed after World War II. When authorities discovered a "Vermeer" in the collection of Hermann Göring, they arrested van Meegeren for collaboration with the Nazis. To avoid the more serious charge of collaboration, he confessed to the forgeries and proved his claim by painting another "Vermeer" under the supervision of authorities.12