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Henricus (Han) Antonius van Meegeren was born in Deventer in the Netherlands in 1889. He began studying architecture but gave that up to become an artist.聽

Whilst he had some success painting portraits for the upper classes in a style similar to he was criticised by his peers for being unoriginal. So in 1932 Van Meegeren concocted a plan to get revenge on his critics. He would create a 鈥榥ew鈥� and 鈥榦riginal鈥� work by the great artist .

Once the painting had been accepted by leading scholars and admired by the world he would announce that it was a hoax.

Van Meegeren set to work in the South of France creating 鈥楽upper at Emmaus鈥�, long considered to be Vermeer鈥檚 finest work. Van Meegeren knew the picture would have to withstand tests if it was to be accepted as genuine. He made sure he used a genuine 17th Century canvas and 17th Century pigments. To this he added which when baked in the oven made the paint dry rock hard. This gave the impression that it was hundreds of years old.

The painting was proclaimed a masterpiece by the leading authority. In 1937 it was purchased by the prestigious in Rotterdam. It became the shining star in the gallery鈥檚 latest exhibition 鈥�400 Years of European Art鈥�.

However when the time came to denounce it as a fake, Van Meegeren changed his mind. Within a month he was working on another forgery. Over the next few years he created six more 鈥榁ermeers鈥� as well as countless other paintings by Dutch Old Masters.

The pictures made him a vast fortune but with the money came alcohol and drug addictions.

Despite his problems Van Meegeren鈥檚 forgeries continued to be accepted as the real thing until 1945. Shortly after the end of World War II Van Meegeren was arrested for treason because he had sold a priceless Vermeer to Nazi leader .

Van Meegeren鈥檚 only defence was to admit his work was in fact a forgery. The scandal was enormous and Van Meegeren became famous overnight; not only as the world鈥檚 greatest art forger, but also as 鈥渢he man who swindled Goering鈥�.

In November 1947 he was finally convicted of obtaining money by deception and sentenced to one year鈥檚 imprisonment. Van Meegeren never served out his sentence as he died just a few weeks later in December 1947.