Studies of the interiors of ceramic figures can provide important information for authentication. Ancient and modern potters made most hollow figures with holes to release hot gases and keep them from exploding in the kiln. A medical endoscope inserted through such a hole can reveal the presence of puparia inside, as well as hidden evidence of work by a restorer or construction techniques typical of forgeries. Robert Pickering has been using computerized tomography (CT) scans to take x-ray pictures of “slices” of Colima dogs to document their interior construction and look for evidence of restorations. By comparing differences between known forgeries and real figures he hopes to develop another method for authenticating figures.

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