Rembrandt portraits: Economic negligence in art attribution

A paper explores several philosophical and legal issues involved in attributing an unknown work of art to a particular artist, as well as the legal remedies available when the attribution of the piece of art somehow causes the work's economic value to decrease or disappear. This presents an opportunity for analysis of the interaction between American law and its incorporation of current trends in art history, the sale of goods, and the remedies for defects in such transactions under contract and tort law. Changes in the legal treatment of the attribution of works of art for sale are proposed. Imposing strict liability on dealers for their art sales is the fairest and most cost-effective solution to the problem caused by the enormous uncertainty that plagues almost any attribution.