A Swiss artificial intelligence firm, Art Recognition, has claimed with high certainty that two versions of the painting 'Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata' (ca. 1428-32), held by the Royal Museums of Turin and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, are not by the hand of Northern Renaissance master Jan van Eyck. The company's CEO, Carina Popovici, stated the A.I. model determined the works were not authentic with 91% and 86% certainty, respectively, though the museums involved have not officially commented.
The findings have been strongly disputed by leading Van Eyck expert Maximiliaan Martens of Ghent University, who criticizes the A.I.'s methodology, the small dataset of Van Eyck's known works, and the lack of peer-reviewed publication. This clash reignites a core debate about the role of technology in art authentication, questioning whether A.I. can adequately account for the complexities of studio collaboration, centuries of damage and restoration, and the subtle material techniques of Old Master paintings without deep collaboration with art historians and conservators.