Will you be able to tell the real difference?

The star attraction is the infamous Amarna Princess, which arrived back in Bolton last week.

The 20-inch statue — actually crafted by forger Shaun Greenhalgh in his Bromley Cross garden shed — was bought by Bolton Council for £440,000 after it was authenticated as 3,300 years old by the Egyptology department at Christie’s and the British Museum.

Greenhalgh, whose shed has been replicated for the exhibition, was jailed for four years and eight months in 2007 after he admitted selling faked and forged works of art as genuine and laundering the money made.

A selection of his other forged works, such as the Risley Park Lanx, Barbara Hepworth’s Goose, and Thomas Moran paintings will also be on display, along with paintings by forgers John Myatt and Robert Thwaites, fake antiquities by John Andrews and forged silverware by Peter Ashley Russell. There will also be fake Tracey Emin and Banksy pieces.

The exhibition has come to Bolton from the Victoria and Albert Museumin London.

Stephanie Crossley, Bolton Council’s assistant director for culture and community, said: “Now the finishing touches are being applied to the exhibition, we cannot wait to unveil it to the public.

“The pieces on show give a fascinating insight into the creation of fakes and forgeries, the impact they have on the rest of the art world, and how the police uncover them.”

A talk on fakes and forgeries by Det Cons Ian Lawson, from the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit, will take place tomorrow night. He said: “The Metropolitan Police Service’s exhibition at the Bolton Museum showcases some of the best faked and forged artworks in our history. It explores investigative techniques used to detect and prevent art crime.”

The Fakes and Forgeries exhibition is free and will run until Saturday, July 2.

The talk by Det Cons Lawson will take place at the museum tomorrow night, at 7pm. Tickets are £5 available from the Albert Halls box office on 01204 334400.