The Daily Telegraph from London, Greater London, England • 57

el Mar Mar THE ARTS WEEKEND TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1990 XIlI BANK OF ENGLAND JY38 2805934 FIVE POUNDS £5 JaG. Busy JY38 280593 Forgery or work of art? J. S. G. Boggs's drawing of a £5 artefact can have the look of its true period which is invisible to contemporaries but glaringly obvious to posterity.

It would be wrong to assume that all fakes are artistically worthless. The pieces of phoney medieval and Renaissance metalware sold in the late 19th century by the Franco- anarchist, Louis Marcy (aka Luigi Parmeggiani) struck me as splendid things. Regarded romantic revivalist works in the manner of William Morris or William Burges they are enjoyable in their own right. The same applies to the sculptures produced in the last century in Florence which mimic prettier 15th-century Picture: ALASTAIR MUIR Laura Cox abseils into action in 'Revolting Peasants' charge registration officer arrives and attempts, with mounting desperation, to discover the truth while being bamboozled, lied to and physically humiliated to such an extent that he finally disbelieves the evidence before his very eyes. Complicating matters still further are two police officers.

in riot gear, one of them a fanatical, abseiling woman Superintendent who is convinced that the mild-mannered George is harbouring She is none too fussy gang of "drug-crazed methods she employs in securing her arrests. Like all good Prior builds his mayhem farce on a foundation of scrupulous The fine art of deception MARTIN GAYFORD finds an exhibition of fakes at the British Museum as fascinating as a good detective story usually react to forgeries like vampires to garlic. Once detected, bogus items are whipped out of display, relegated to a dusty shelf in the basement and discussed as seldom as possible. The British Museum, however, has overcome that prejudice to produce a fascinating exhibition Fake? The Art of Deception (until September 2) which contains a bumper selection of skeletons released from the scholarly cupboard. All the arts of chicanery are included.

the outright frauds, doctored works (partly genuine, partly not), honest imitations that somewhere along the line have become mistaken for the real thing, a few items that still remain controversial, and, for purposes of comparison, one or two exhibits that actually are exactly what they seem. It's a thought-provoking show, in several ways. Forgery is clearly one of the older activities of man, but until now I had not realised quite how ancient. Babylonian priests falsified inscriptions, and so did Egyptian pharaohs, it seems; and since those days a truly astounding range of spurious has been produced, bought and, for a time at least, believed in. On display there are dubious saintly relics, Piltdown Man, an account of the Trojan witness.

appalling torture chair not really used by the Spanish Inquisition, and prize examples of political skulduggery such as the letter (published by The Times in Charles Parnell didn't actually write in support of Fenian outrage. In a stiff field, the most bare of all is perhaps the solitary specimen of the Canadian furry trout. Some of these are entertaining, but the most interesting exhibits of all are the fraudulent works of art infuriating to the scholar, a nightmare for the collector, but fascinating because of the fundamental questions they raise: Where is the boundary between true and false? And just what do we value so much in the genuine article? There is a flower painting on show, for example, entirely painted by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer, with a perfectly authentic signature, which is is contended a forgery as it consists of bits and pieces of canvas stitched together to create an ensemble never intended by the artist. An Still taking the tabloids CHRISTOPHER TOOKEY on 'What the Papers Say', now installed on BBC-2 NHE FIRST edition of What the Papers Say on November 5, 1956, could hardly have happened at a more propitious moment: it coincided with both the British invasion of Suez and the Russian invasion on of Hungary. Since then, the programme has found itself exiled from ITV to Channel 4, and sentenced to death by Michael Grade has now been compelled to flee to BBC-2.

Last night's show incorporated the programme's annual journalistic awards, but principally celebrated its move to a new home. A clip of Paul Foot was produced, in order to promote the view that "What the Papers Say" deals withs serious themes. Certainly, condemnation of the press coverage of the shooting in Gibraltar of three IRA terrorists was serious; but the significant fact was that Foot made the point with surely the trademark of the programme more than a modicum of wit. Irony has long been the programme's house style; and it is hard to imagine the show surviving long in any other country. The programme has left its mark on numerous TV.

performers, even if last night's through the archives suggested that not all of them have changed for the better. Anne Robinson may look more animated and informal now that she's presenting "Points of but she can hardly ever have surpassed her elaborately bored, feline savaging in a 1982 "What the Papers Say" of Lady Falkender's pretensions as a columnist. One presenter, at least, was virtually unrecognisable. In 1972, Clive James was improbably slim and disguised Rosebery's CRYSTAL PALACE AUCTION SALE WEDNESDAY, 28th MARCH at 12 noon Antique furniture, including a Rare George II mahogany bureau cabinet, Works of Art, Ceramics Glass, Pictures Prints Viewing: Tuesday 27th, 9.30am to 8.00pm and on morning of sale, from 9.30am onwards Catalogues £2.00 (£2.50 by post) Rosebery's The Old Railway Booking Hall Crystal Palace, Station Road London SE19 2AZ 01-778 4024 T.VENNETT-SMITH Will sell by auction at The Sherwood Conference Centre Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham. TUESDAY 27th.

MARCH CIGARETTE TRADE CARDS 1 p.m. (650 Lots approx) WEDNESDAY 28th. MARCH AUTOGRAPHS 1 p.m. (800 Lots approx) THURSDAY 29th. MARCH POSTCARDS 12 noon (800 Lots approx) Illustrated catalogues £5.00 (post paid) COMMISSION 8.5% FURTHER DETAILS from TREVOR VENNETT-SMITH, F.R.I.C.S., F.S.V.A., OR RICHARD DAVIE 11 Nottingham Road, Gotham, Nottingham NG11 0HE Telephone (0602) 830541; Fax (0602) 830114 I COLLECTORS RUSSELL FLINT.

Material wanted by private collector. 01 351 5506. behind a veritable shag-pile carpet of facial hair as he aimed barbs at the tabloid press. Richard Ingrams, on contrary, looked exactly the same in November 1971 as he does today even down to the jacket. Ingrams has long been my favourite contributor to the programme, since his power base at Private Eye has kept him unafraid to poke fun not merely at the tabloids, but also at the pomposities of the "quality" press.

There was a delightful clip of Ingrams satirising the Times's science column, merely quoting: "One drink of a tasteless liquid preparation of radioactive iodine is now the standard treatment for thyrotoxicosis." Ingrams cocked one eyebrow quizzically. fascinating piece of information," he said brightly, "that is new to me, for one." Surprisingly, no show or format has yet surpassed "What Papers Say" in criticising the press. Channel 4's "The Media Show" began promisingly but became crippled by arthritic left-wing assumptions and an obsession with the cinema and television. Raymond Snoddy's "Hard News" can be hard-hitting, but is fatally lacking in humour, and rarely resists the opportunity to be sanctimonious. Perhaps what is needed is a programme which, performs for newspapers "Did You See?" used to perform for television.

In the mean time, "What the Papers Say" is a programme which still has a role after 33 years, even if it doesn't appeal to a mass audience. All credit to BBC-2 for giving it a home. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS of historical, literary, musical and artistic interest Bought sold. Catalogues free on request John Wilson, 50 Acre End Street, Eynsham, OXFORD, OX8 1PD Tel: (0865) 880883. PRIVATE COLLECTOR wishes to purchase autographs, letters and signed photographs of eminent persons.

Daniel Andrews, 102 Upton Way, Broadstone, Dorset. 0202 697389. ARTS LEISURE EASTER AT LINCOLN Share the liturgical life of Lincoln Cathedral Maundy Thursday Easter Monday (12-16 April 1990) £65.00 Contact: The Secretary, Edward King House, The Old Palace, Lincoln Tel: Lincoln (0522) 528778 I ART GALLERIES FINE ART SOCIETY 148 New Bond Street, W1. 01-629 5116. TRAVELLERS IN GREECE.

I ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATERCOLOURS Annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1 (01-930 6844). From 22nd March to 16th April, open daily 10am 5pm, including Sundays and Easter. WHITFORD HUGHES 6 Duke Street, St James's SW1, 01-930 9332. Exhibition of BELGIAN PAINTINGS 1880-1930. Featuring Evenepoel, Khnopff, De Smet, Van Den Berghe etc.

21st March 12th April. Mon-Fri 10-6 pm. I EXHIBITIONS AGNEW'S 117th ANNUAL WATERCOLOUR EXHIBITION 9.30-5.30 Mon-Fri, until 6 April. Thurs until 6.30. 43 OLD BOND ST, W1.

01-629-6176 intriguing case, and also, by the way, quite a nice picture. To the layman, the issues involved must sometimes seem reminiscent of the medieval controversy as to how many angels could dance the head of a pin. Is there really much difference between the engraving of the Mocking of Christ by Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533) and unbelievably accurate copy unknown contemporary? Well, no, not to look at, as is sug. gested by the fact that the imposture was not detected for over 400 years. But while copies imitations can be remarkably accurate, fakers are often surprisingly inept when they work less slavishly from the original.

This can be seen in the home-made Vermeers by the most famous forger of the 20th century, the Dutchman Van Meegeren, of which two are display. They are really startlingly awful not good torian enough for to fore a second, novice one art would have thought, let alone most of the leading art historians in the Netherlands for a decade. To contemporary eyes these fakes have strong flavour of the late 1930s and early 1940s no doubt an example of the mysterious process whereby an THEATRE The poll tax farce WITH an timing, immaculate Theatre sense Royal, Stratford East, is presenting a play about the poll tax. Better still, Revolting Peasants turns out to be a corker. baracing inner-city myself for misery, another it was a pleasure to discover that playwright Patrick Prior has responded to the dreaded tax not with angry polemic but with a cheerfully subversive farce.

There are, it is true, several moments when he rather immaculate workings his self-consciously displays, the socialist conscience, but for the most part his play is an unashamed romp, a Carry On Up the Community Charge. The action is set in a highrise flat in the theatre's own borough of Newham, the home of Mary Atkins, a school-dinner lady, and her husband George, a hospital plumber, devoted Kinnockite and pillar of the local Labour Party. Mary has told a little white on her poll tax registration form or, to be more accurate, a couple of whoppers. Unbeknownst to her husband, she has described herself as a widow and in order to qualify for a single-parent rebate, she has invented a baby daughter. Having set up his situation, Prior exploits it with infectious brio.

A Welsh community logic, and he achieves a most satisfactory pitch of dementia. The script is generously studded with jokes, ancient and modern, trousers are dropped, bat droppings mistaken for chocolates, and, as a grand finale, a cupboard explodes. Jeff Teare's production achieves the required momentum and gets full value from a series of running gags; and the actors are clearly having a ball, with particularly enjoyable performances from Alan Cowan as the hapless tax inspector, Bill Thomas as the harassed husband and Yvonne Edgell as the lying wife. Edward Bond should see this play. It would do him good.

Charles Spencer The provincial hero as failure ID adapt Stephen Uncle Vanya MacDonald at the Chester Gateway Theatre from Chekhov's original or work from a literal version? No collaborator is credited. The strenuous, unnaturally idiomatic quality of the dialogue and its rhythmic flatness must be intentional, but I cannot see what such stiltedness is supposed to serve. Nevertheless, this is an elegant production. Russ Bar- son's excellent set designs give a first impression of a forest of birch trees; by small adjustments, the wooded garden turns into the house; bark becomes wallpaper in the highceilinged rooms. It may be because the pace is too slow, but the production has an insistent formality and archness it.

Tamsin Olivier as Yelyena, Professor Serebryakov's second wife, does not radiate that intense A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery exh. 1766. Derby Art Gallery Wright of Derby 7 February 22 April 1990 Sponsored by The British Land Company TATE GALLERY Millbank London SWIP 4RG Recorded information 01 821 7128 Monday Saturday 10 5.50 Sunday 2 5.50 Last admission 5.30 Admission £3 Concessions £1.50 Closed 13 April note, the subject of an Old Bailey styles. These appealed so much to Pre-Raphaelite taste that in 1869 the Victoria and Albert Museum bought one for a good price in the full knowledge that it was fake. It seems that quite a few Victorians preferred these pastiches to the real thing.

However, lovely or not, it is not on the attractions of fakes Telegraph the TO, The Sunterian Hymn Book is dropping Stand up for Jesus because it might give offence to the disabled. This sets an awful precedent. Hymns Ancient Modern is full of lines that cry out for amendment. Neither Come let us join our cheerful songs nor Hark! the glad Sound will be acceptable, as they may offend the deaf, or at least the tone-deaf; and clearly Lift up thine eyes is a cruel insult to the "visually Brother clasps the Hand of has already been dropped by the BBC after a lady preacher complained during the rehearsal for Radio Four's Daily Service of sexism; and Fight the good fight with all thy might won't do because of its innate aggression. If you are looking for a crude bit of you will find it in A No 527: Come, my soul, thy suit prepare.

And, horrors, court case in 1987, now on show that one usually focuses. Their interest lies in the skill of the deception, the astuteness or the lack of same which the experts showed, and the fatal flaw that led to the objects' being unmasked. Consequently, unlike most exhibitions, this show has many of the attractions of a detective story (an aspect reinforced by a WORDPLAY Censored hymns "Take my silver and my gold Not a mite will I withhold!" is nothing but a cunning ploy to gull us into meek acceptance of the poll tax. A line in Stanford's anthem, For lo, I raise up will give deep offence to clockmakers: "I will stand upon and no self-respecting plumber will take A No 300 lying down: "Crown him, ye morning stars of light Who fixed this floating Of the Wesley hymn "With thee all night I mean to stay And wrestle till the break of I can hardly at the British Museum section on the high-tech forensic methods scholars can now deploy). And, however gifted some of them may have been, it serves the fakers right.

After all, in many cases Van Meegeren was one apart from greed, their principal motive seems to have been the hoaxer's perverse itch to deceive. bring myself to speak. Nor, as the father of a recent bride, was I too happy with No 350 "Be present, awful father To give away this Hymns for Today's Church banishes from Jerusalem, my Happy Home in the English Hymnal the line for a lay upon this, presumably to placate Americans; although Songs of Praise retains (in No 492) the line "In intercourse at hearth or board with my beloved which surely has also been overtaken by changes in colloquial usage. Come to think of it, when I was young too, had a complaint about Stand up for Jesus. In the morning we used to sing it at school assembly.

Then, going to a football in the afternoon, people behind would shout, "Siddown fer Chrissake!" Fritz Spiegl ROCK Rich, wicked and irresistible stronger brass line-up. Hot House Flowers's lead singer Liam was another surprise guest, playing on Invisible To You, the recent single which, complained Coughlan to her fans, "you never all Coughlan's support band The River Detectives also impressed, setting the tone for tal and vocal standards. Quentin Letts Coughlan plays Bristol Bierkeller, March 18; Birmingham Irish Centre, March 19; Leeds Irish Centre, March 21; Liverpool Royal Court, March 22; Manchester International, March 23; Galway Leisureland, March 29; Cavan Carraic Springs, March 30; Dublin Stadium, March 31; Belfast Opera House, April 1. TAKES brass for a little- Coughlan might profit from a an evening of high instrumen- sexual boredom which electrifies the heavy atmosphere and leads to treacherous flirtation. She brings to the part none of the hardness to sharpen the contrast between her elegance and the plain, frustrated passion of Sonya, her ter, played with harsh force by Jacqueline Dankworth.

Two performances stand out. Peter Laird is a hugely resourceful, gouty and pompous Professor Serebryakov; he has the rasping of a closed-circuit egotism. And David Henry's Vanya, though maybe a touch too urbane, portrays this hero of failure with slow, cumulative energy, rising through comedy to the bitter level of provincial tragedy Chekhov's speciality. Michael Schmidt known jazz singer from Galway to stroll on to the London Dominion stage, take a swig from a champagne flute and open her set with a funereally paced cover of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel. When the singer is Mary Coughlan, you wonder why Elvis the song at such a lick.

She has a chocolate mousse of a voice rich, wicked and irresistible, and, on vinyl, best enjoyed in bed over a glass of Jameson. She purrs, snarls, soars, and takes huge risks, pausing eliding. The risks pay off. Between songs, Coughlan shrugs her shoulders and mimics a pigeon walk (slick mover, she ain't). That's where the modesty ends, mind.

Coughlan's banter with audience is littered with innuendo. A victim of the Republic of Ireland's archaic anti-divorce legislation, Coughlan takes a rebel's attitude to booze and men. She sings freely and humorously of female lust. Most of the songs came from her new album "Uncertain Pleasures" which has seen her move up-beat with songs like the clanking Man of the World and The Little Death, written by the pseudonymous Pete Briquette and Bob Geldof. A crisp band could have done with more bass at times, and Clive Barker's fleeting appearance on trumpet suggested 613,045 003.270 Chicago.

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