BOLTON forger Shaun Greenhalgh — who duped the art world with his fakes — is being promoted on a website which claims to offer his genuine artwork for sale.

Among the items advertised on the website is a replica of the infamous Amarna Princess statue Greenhalgh made in his garden shed and sold to Bolton Museum for £440,000. It can be bought for just £2,500.

The blurb on the website, which claims to be written by Greenhalgh, says: “This is a recent work, in the style of the Amarna Princess sold to the Bolton Museum in 2003. I consider this piece a better effort, and it depicts a younger female form.”

Also on offer are 200 “limited edition” fine bone china Amarna Princess statues, going for £195, and a “mill scene” oil painting in the style of LS Lowry, for £1,500.

Det Con Ian Lawson from the Metropolitan Police’s Art and Antiques Unit, said: “Art forgery is the cre- ation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists.

“If a work is not copyrighted, it is not illegal to copy that work and sell that copy, as long as it is made very clear the work is not an original.”

There is no suggestion the artworks on the website are anything but genuine art reproductions.

The most expensive item offered on the site — www.shaungreen-halghart.com — is a £3,000 painting in the style of Caravaggio, depicting David holding the head of Goliath.

Accompanying text says: “This is a picture I painted shortly after I left prison and is an imitation of one of my favourite artists, Caravaggio.”

Other items advertised on the site include a bronze Christ which, according to the website, is one of several Greenhalgh buried in his dad’s garden when he was at school and forgot about.

The site says: “They are all a bit wanting as far as being convincing fakes, but were the best I could do at the time.”

Another fake Amarna period piece was made, according to the website, when Greenhalgh was aged 17. The site’s description says Greenhalgh dropped it shortly after it was finished and the Metropolitan Police seized the head in 2006.

A general disclaimer reads: “Several examples of my old style of work . . . ‘fakes’, but they are all by me, and signed and dated by me! And sold as such...”

The website is split into two sections — one offering imitations and another purporting to display Greenhalgh’s original work in his own style. The “in my own style” pieces include concrete statuettes, steel and rivet sculptures, porcelain figurines and carvings in wood and marble. They range in price from £50 to £1,800.

Anyone interested in buying the artwork is invited to make contact via an email address.

The front page of the website contains a photograph, apparently of Greenhalgh, sitting in a room with a dog, surrounded by his work.

Greenhalgh, now aged 50, was jailed for four years and eight months in November, 2007, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering at Bolton Crown Court. He was released from prison early last year after serving half of his sentence and still lives near his parents in Bromley Cross.

A council spokesman said: “Our relationship with Mr Greenhalgh was well-documented throughout the period of his trial and conviction and we have nothing further to add.”

The Bolton News has made multiple attempts to contact Greenhalgh to determine if the website is genuinely his work but has been unable to speak to him.