Forensic Science Applied to Cultural Heritage: A Brief History, Review and Gaps in Analytical Techniques to Combat Counterfeiting and Block Illicit Trafficking

Abstract

This article highlights how analytical approaches act as an essential pillar against cultural heritage counterfeiting and illicit trafficking, considering that different methodologies can be used in forensic science applied specifically to cultural heritage. The study provides a comprehensive overview of the history of counterfeiting, contextualizing how illicit practices evolved alongside historical art markets. Furthermore, it examines the progressive integration of diagnostic technologies over the last century, showing how material analysis has reshaped the objectivity of forensic sciences applied to cultural heritage. International protocols are also fundamental when it comes to evaluate if a piece of art is counterfeit. Through a narrative literature review of publications spanning 2021 to 2025, this paper examines both consolidated analytical techniques and emerging experimental methods currently being trialed in the field. Ultimately, this work demonstrates how combining historical context with state-of-the-art analytical tools provides forensic investigators and conservation scientists with the necessary means to authenticate artworks, reconstruct provenance, and effectively disrupt global illicit trafficking networks, thereby protecting collective historical memory.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Heritage, 2026 · DOI ↗