Amarna Princess

[2] However, in November 2005, Greenhalgh was brought under suspicion by Scotland Yard's Arts and Antiquities Unit, and the statue was impounded for further examination in March 2006.

[10] In the event, taking full advantage of the vagueness of the auction notes, Greenhalgh manufactured what became the Amarna Princess, a 52 cm statue, apparently made of a "stunning translucent alabaster.

"[11] Done in the Egyptian Amarna style of 1350 BC, the statue represents one of the daughters of the Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, probable father and stepmother of Tutankhamun.

Greenhalgh reputedly "knocked up" his copy in his shed in three weeks out of calcite, "using basic DIY tools and making it look old by coating it in a mixture of tea and clay.

[14] George Greenhalgh, the forger's father, then approached the Bolton Museum in 2002,[15] claiming the Amarna was from his great-grandfather's "forgotten collection," bought at the Silverton Park auction.

[11] George pretended to be ignorant about its true worth or value but was careful to provide the letters Shaun had also faked, showing how the artefact had been in the family for "a hundred years.

Elements of its "extreme style" suggested it was an early era piece, which was enough for her to speculate on which of the six daughters the statue might represent, Meritaten – despite the absence of an inscription, or a head.

"[3] Billed as "spectacular," it spanned "4,000 years of art history,"[27] which would have made the Amarna Princess one of the oldest items there, had it been genuine.

[22] In mid-March 2006 Scotland Yard's Arts and Antiquities Unit impounded the Amarna Princess as part of an ongoing investigation of the Greenhalgh family.

On searching their property, police found evidence of tools and material for making sculptures, and two other completed copies of the Amarna Princess.

"[30] The museum insisted that it had followed established procedure,[15] though they called George Greenhalgh "a nice old man who had no idea of the significance of what he owned.

[20] However, the presiding judge, William Morris, exonerated the institution and any Council staff involved, preferring to focus on what he saw as "misapplied" talent and an "ambitious conspiracy," and emphasised the sophistication of the deception.

[15][32] One art expert said "the Amarna Princess ... is a reminder that the really good fakes in public and private collections haven't been spotted yet.