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Bill Parrott was considered the top scholar of the 18th century chair in France
Two French antique experts were found guilty of forgerying a historic chair that once allegedly belonged to a French royal family, such as Marie Antoinette.
Georges “Bill” Parrotte and Bruno desnu were given four months behind the bar, and a long halt to sell many fake 18th century chairs to collectors, including the Palace of Versailles and members of the Qatar royal family.
They will not return to prison as both have already served in pre-trial detention for four months.
Another defendant, Laurent Kramer, along with his gallery, was accused of not properly checking the credibility of the chair before selling it, but was acquitted from a deception due to gross negligence.
Wednesday’s decision was the pinnacle of a nine-year investigation that shook the world of antiques in France.
In a courthouse in Pontoise, north of Paris, the judge handed out large fines to Parrot and Desnu, 200,000 euros (£169,500) and 100,000 euros respectively.
According to AFP News Agency, Parrott said in response to his sentence “it’s a bit financially tough,” but he was pleased that his Paris apartment would not be seized.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Laurent Kramer and his gallery in Paris sold the items to buyers such as Prince Qatar Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani because they didn’t fully check the authenticity of the items they purchased.
However, on Wednesday, Kramer and the gallery were acquitted. They always denied knowing about forgery.
In comments sent to the BBC, his lawyer said the verdict “evidence of the innocence that the Kramer Gallery has been claiming since the first day of the case.”
“The gallery was a victim of the counterfeiters. They didn’t know that the furniture was fake. As judgement suggests, they couldn’t detect it.”
“For almost ten years, our clients have been miscried. They patiently waited for the truth to come out, and it’s now over.
At the height of his career, Parrott was considered a top scholar of the 18th century chair in France, writing authoritative books on the subject.
He was also a lecturer at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris, and had access to historical records of the Palace of Versailles, including an inventory of royal furniture that existed in the palace in the 18th century.
Parrott was able to identify which chairs were not being booked in the collection and was able to create replicas with the help of Desnoux, an award-winning sculptor who was employed as Versailles’ main furniture restoration company.
“I was my head and Denu was my hands,” Parrot told the court at a trial in March.
“It turned out like a breeze,” he added. “It was all fake, but it was money.”
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Bruno Desnoues was filmed in 2000 after receiving the prestigious Lilianne Bettencourt Award for “Intelligence of the Hand.”
Prosecutor Pascal Layer said in his final discussion at the trial that the case “will shine a rare, surprising spotlight in the historic furniture market, revealing a world engraved with confidentiality and discretion.”
He said it revealed the market flaws and “the conflict of interest inherent to its structure, particularly experts such as Bill Parrott and his accomplice’s woodcarving Denu, are merchants who are private to buyers.”
Rayer said the incident “has caused disruption to the entire market, thereby highlighting the need for stronger regulation of the ART market to achieve transparency and fairness in the transaction.”
Other cases that emerged from the ambiguous world of bone que items in France over the past decade include the case of the late Jean Loop, accused of selling fake royal furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries to galleries around the world. He passed away in 2023 before appearing in court.
