Once revered expert, now on trial: French chair scholar faces charges over high-end fakes

Bill Pallot is a familiar figure in French media and has been nicknamed ‘Père la chaise’. Photograph: Foc Kan/WireImage

Bill Pallot, once considered the world’s foremost authority on 18th-century French chairs and a trusted adviser to collectors, museums, and even the Palace of Versailles, is now standing trial in France for trafficking counterfeit antique furniture — a scandal that has rocked the art and antiques world, The New York Times reported.

Known for authoring The Art of the Chair in 18th Century France and counted among the elite of Parisian art circles, Pallot allegedly used his deep knowledge of craftsmanship and historical detail not to preserve heritage, but to fake it — convincing even royalty, including Prince Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar, to buy pieces claimed to have belonged to Marie Antoinette and Madame du Barry.

An elite expert turned alleged forger Pallot’s long career began to unravel when doubts raised by his former student and fellow antique dealer, Charles Hooreman, caught the attention of buyers and eventually French authorities.

Hooreman, once a devoted admirer of Pallot’s lectures at the Sorbonne, became suspicious after noticing a suspicious influx of supposedly royal furniture on the market. In one famous case, he claimed to have detected a fake by licking a chair. “I could taste the fraud,” he told Vanity Fair in 2018, describing how he recognized the use of melted liquorice — a technique favoured by the woodworker Bruno Desnoues — to simulate aging on new wood.

A deeper deception surfaces The scheme came to light in 2016, when France’s culture ministry announced it was investigating furniture worth €2.7 million, including two Louis XV chairs purchased by the Palace of Versailles. Experts later determined the pieces were not authentic, and Pallot was arrested that same year.

He now stands trial along with Desnoues and four others in Pontoise, near Paris. Desnoues has admitted to his role in creating the fakes, while Pallot has acknowledged partial involvement but disputes the number of counterfeits attributed to him.

From curiosity to criminality According to French newspaper Le Monde, Pallot admitted in earlier proceedings that the scheme began as a challenge: he and Desnoues wondered if they could create a convincing forgery while working on legitimate restorations. That curiosity evolved into a years-long fraud operation.

In a pre-trial interview with Le Parisien, Pallot said he hopes to explain himself in court and seeks leniency from the judges, citing mitigating factors.

A reckoning for the art world The case has sent ripples through the art and antiques community, prompting reforms in how the French government authenticates cultural heritage items. It has also raised questions about how even the most prestigious institutions and wealthy buyers can fall victim to sophisticated deceptions.

The trial is expected to continue into next month. Pallot could face years in prison if convicted.