I've never been a fan of classic portraits of people, but by way of watching a lot of Baumgartner restoration videos it's become an interest. A lot apparently

I've never been a fan of classic portraits of people, but by way of watching a lot of Baumgartner restoration videos it's become an interest. A lot apparently goes into establishing the authenticity of portraits. As a conservator, he does a lot of work in the background that isn't always conveyed in the videos. Sometimes the outcome of his restoration efforts is to communicate to the client that the painting is either a copy, or may have history but the subject isn't who they thought it was. No actual comment on this particular story, but the little bit I've learned of the art community is that they put a huge amount of effort into confirming provenance. The history of the painting. So if a lot of experts in the field are raising doubts, it's probably worth examining their statements. Like archaeologists, most want to make a major find. It's career making. But that also requires being highly sceptical of new claims.