How can a microscope show whether the aging of an artwork is genuine or artificial?

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kouros — Art fraud Kouros of uncertain provenance, formerly on display with the label “about 530 bc or modern forgery,” dolomitic marble; in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California.

In the context of art fraud, the microscope serves as a fundamental tool for technical analysis to determine if an object's physical condition reflects genuine age or artificial manipulation.1

When examining an artwork, experts use microscopy to compare the suspected piece against genuine works from the same artist or period. Genuine aging processes—such as the natural drying and cracking of oil painting surfaces, the oxidation of bronzes, or the development of iridescent layers on buried glass—produce specific, consistent physical characteristics.1

A microscope allows for a close inspection of these surface features. Forgers often attempt to replicate these signs of age, but such artificial aging frequently lacks the consistency and logical distribution found in authentic pieces. By observing the physical condition at a microscopic level, investigators can identify telltale traces of modern tools or inconsistencies in the material's deterioration that reveal the aging to be a recent, manufactured effect rather than the result of the passage of time.1