Bill Pallot was a renowned expert in 18th-century French chairs, who made a successful career out of consulting with museums, galleries, collectors, and the Palace of Versailles. He achieved celebrity status in the art world, but his career took a downward turn when a former student accused him of faking antiques.

Pallot was known for authenticating furniture that was later revealed to be fake, duping deep-pocketed buyers, including Prince Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar. In 2016, the French culture ministry investigated the authenticity of furniture valued at 2.7 million euros, which led to Pallot’s arrest the same year. As a result of the scandal, the French authorities changed how they authenticated antiques.

Pallot’s reputation was not always shady, as he had written a groundbreaking book on the topic and was known as a passionate and knowledgeable educator. However, a former student of his, Charles Hooreman, raised doubts about Pallot’s credibility long before his downfall. Hooreman had tested a chair and detected the taste of fraud by tasting it. He later learned that the woodworker favored by Pallot had used melted licorice to make new wood feel old.

Pallot has admitted complicity in the scheme but denies that there were as many fakes as Hooreman has claimed. The case has become a significant scandal in the art world, with an ongoing criminal trial and a reevaluation of how antiques are authenticated.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/world/europe/france-fake-furniture-trial.html