Why did D.G. van Beuningen continue to believe that Supper at Emmaus was a genuine Vermeer?

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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.

D.G. van Beuningen’s belief that The Supper at Emmaus was a genuine Johannes Vermeer was reinforced by the fact that the painting had been widely acclaimed by art scholars as a masterpiece by the Dutch master.1

At the time of its acquisition, the work was not recognized as a forgery by the art establishment. It was only after Han van Meegeren was arrested following World War II and confessed to his complex scheme of forging paintings that the true nature of the work was revealed. Van Meegeren had successfully deceived the art world by using techniques and materials that mimicked those of the Dutch masters, leading experts and collectors alike to accept his forgeries as authentic.1