Jolly Redd’s Treasure Trawler is full of wonderful finds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but this shady art and furniture dealer is known for selling fake artwork to unsuspecting patrons. Redd was first added to the game in April 2020, only a month after ACNH’s release, selling both real and fake versions of famous works of art from the real world. However, more often than not, players without a keen eye for art and a knowledge of a variety of famous pieces will find themselves with a forgery thanks to Redd’s scamming and scheming.
Redd sells four pieces of artwork per day, but players can only choose one to take home with them. While it’s possible for there to be multiple genuine pieces of art at once, it’s also possible for all four to be fake, so Animal Crossing players will have to carefully examine each piece to determine which one is worth buying. Redd will ship the ACNH art to the player’s house the next day, and from there, they can display it in their own home or take it over to Blathers in the Museum to have it displayed in the art wing. However, if the art is a forgery, Blathers will decline to add it to the exhibit, and Timmy and Tommy won’t want to buy it from the player, either, so players will either have to throw it away with a trash can or display it on their island despite the fact that it’s fake.
Like the other special vendors in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Redd will appear on random days at the small beach on the north side of the island to sell art and furniture from his boat. As of the Animal Crossing 2.0 update, players can also donate to help Redd set up shop on Harv’s Island, and he’ll bring two pieces of art with him each day for players to browse. Players can still only buy one per day, however, but the art will change every Monday if players don’t buy either piece. It’s possible for one or both of these pieces of art to be fake in ACNH, but it’s also possible for both of them to be real, so players will have to keep their eyes peeled and their art knowledge sharp when shopping.
For the most part, the forged artworks in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are much more difficult to catch than they were in previous games, and while each one is visibly different from its original piece in some way, some fakes only change one small detail, such as a subject’s arm being raised at a different angle from the original. There are also some pieces of art with multiple fake versions available in the game, making it even tougher to find a genuine article to donate to the Museum. However, there are a few forgeries that stand apart from their original artwork with obvious differences, making them easy for most players to spot.
Animal Crossing’s Academic Painting Has A Huge Coffee Stain
Animal Crossing’s Academic Painting is a recreation of the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci, a famous pen and ink drawing of Da Vinci’s concept of the ideal proportions of the human body. Completed in 1490, this work of art is considered a symbol of the merging of art, science, and mathematics in the Renaissance, becoming a quintessential symbol of the idea of Enlightenment from this time. The fake version of the Academic Painting will have a large coffee stain in the top right corner, making it stand out not only from the real work of art, but from the other forgeries as well with this careless mistake.
The Fake Famous Painting In Animal Crossing Is Easy To Spot
Representing another of Leonardo Da Vinci’s most celebrated works, the Famous Painting in Animal Crossing is the Mona Lisa, one of the most well-known paintings in the world. The Mona Lisa’s renowned smile and watchful eyes have been reimagined countless times in popular culture, and Redd’s forgery stands out enough from the original to be easily spotted. His version’s facial expression is much sharper than the real Mona Lisa’s, and perhaps most notably, he’s also given her eyebrows, which are famously absent from the genuine painting.
The Wild Painting Left Half & Right Half Fakes Swap Colors In Animal Crossing
As two halves of the same real work of art, Animal Crossing’s Wild Painting Left Half and Wild Painting Right Half recreate the Folding Screen of Fujin And Raijin by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, one of Japan’s National Treasures. This piece depicts the Wind God, Fujin, and the Thunder God, Raijin, on each of its s, with Fujin on the right side of the screen and Raijin on the left. However, in the original painting, Raijin is white and Fujin is green, but their colors have been swapped in the forgeries.
Animal Crossing Gives The Beautiful Statue Jewelry
The Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch appears in Animal Crossing as the Beautiful Statue, and this iconic marble sculpture from the Hellenistic period is easy to distinguish from its forgery. Originally sculpted sometime between 150 and 125 BC, the Venus de Milo depicts the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, and was rediscovered on the island of Milos in 1820. While the original statue is not wearing any jewelry, Redd’s fake wears a pearl necklace, making it one of the more obvious ACNH forgeries.
The Gallant Statue Fake Stands Out In Animal Crossing
Michelangelo’s David is one of the most well-known masterpieces of the Renaissance period, and players can display its Animal Crossing counterpart, the Gallant Statue, in their island’s Museum. While the real David sculpture is often interpreted as a symbol of intellect and strength, Redd's fake version takes this one step too far and tucks a book beneath David’s right arm. This makes it one of the easiest fake sculptures to spot in the game, so players won’t have to worry about whether or not they’ve accidentally purchased a forgery when it arrives in the mail.
The Informative Statue Is Animal Crossing’s Most Obvious Fake
Animal Crossing’s Informative Statue recreates the Rosetta Stone, one of the most-visited exhibits in the British Museum to this day. This famous stone was a crucial part of the translation and understanding of Ancient Egyptian language as its carvings bear a decree written in hieroglyphics, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek, making it the key to interpreting previously indecipherable hieroglyphics and ancient texts. Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to catch the fake version of this artwork as its color has been changed from black to a vibrant blue. Of all the fake paintings and sculptures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, this one is by far the most obvious.