Seeing the words “Michelangelo” and “forgery” in the same sentence isn’t perhaps that surprising: in 500 years, there have definitely been people who tried to imitate the masterful hand of Italy’s most celebrated artist.

Picturing Michelangelo as a forger, however, may be harder, even though there are plenty of sources – some reputable, some, perhaps, a tad more outlandish – stating that the artist did engage in some forgery work when he was young and trying to establish himself in the world of art.