Animal Crossing New Horizons: Jolly Redd’s Art Sales (Real vs Fake)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons version 1.2 update brought some new and familiar faces to players’ islands. One such returning character is Redd the art dealer, often referred to as Crazy Redd or Jolly Redd. This character arrives stocked with works of art they’re trying to sell, but with some fake works in his inventory, it’s up to you to find out which masterpieces are actually real.

After getting the update, you have to sell enough items to Blathers’ museum to have Redd come to the island with his Treasure Trawler. Along with Redd’s Raffle items in AC: New Horizons, the character comes with multiple works of art based on famous real-world paintings and sculptures. However, some of these are worthless, which you may only realize after you buy them.

How to Spot Fake Art in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Know The Differences That Make Famous Works Less Authentic

Redd needs your help to buy some of his art to help him open a new art wing of the Museum on your island. That being said, Redd will try to trick you, passing off forged works as real until you can spot the differences. Since Blathers cannot use fake pieces in the Museum, you’ll only be wasting money by purchasing the false art Redd is trying to sell to you.

Redd has gotten better at disguising his fake pieces since Animal Crossing: New Leaf. That being said, Redd’s works are based on real-life art masterpieces, meaning that art history majors and “spot the difference” fans can find the real painting or sculpture online. By comparing the two, you can understand which of Redd’s pieces are worthless.

An easy way to spot which of Redd’s artworks is fake is to pull up an image of the “real” painting or sculpture the character is attempting to sell. By being able to look back and forth between a real image and the in-game one, you might see key differences.

A keen attention to detail is needed to discover forged art, as some come down to the most subtle differences. Most of the time, finding the fake art in Redd’s collection comes down to tiny comparisons, like the absence of a flower or collar that is present in the real-world piece.

Some details are extremely subtle, like a slight smirk on the Mona Lisa that should not be there, or inverted eyebrows to make the Ōtani Oniji III As Yakko Edobei appear sad rather than angry. Like a typical game of Spot the Difference, players have to really look over every art piece to find something not quite right. Additionally, these differences are not the same as they were in previous games.

Every Fake Art Piece From Jolly Redd

Spot Each Forgery Through Comparisons To Its Original Work

Because these paintings are based on real works of art, players may enjoy the process of researching the art pieces and looking at them beside Redd’s offerings. While there typically is no substitute for research, some players have already found every possible work of art and its fake, as illustrated in the infographic below.

While this graphic does provide a lot of information, those looking for a more detailed breakdown of Redd’s antics in AC: New Horizons might require some more context. The fake works that Redd offers are easy to overlook, so you need to know which ones are suspect for investigation.

Serene Painting (Lady With An Ermine)

This painting features a woman holding an animal called an ermine. In the original work, the ermine has purely white fur, but Redd’s version features black and white patterns more similar to a raccoon. This indicates a forgery, marking the art as fake.

Wistful Painting (Girl With A Pearl Earring)

As the name of the painting might suggest, the real version of this art features a woman with a small, orb-shaped pearl earring. However, Redd will try to present you with multiple fake variants of this, with one having the woman’s eyes closed and another changing her signature earring to a star-shape.

Academic Painting (Vitruvian Man)

This famous Leonardo da Vinci work is typically in pristine condition, with only a couple of marks and blemishes from its age. The version Redd tries to sell you has a huge stain in its upper right corner, marking it as a fake.

Graceful Painting (Beauty Looking Back)

The difference in this painting is subtle, as the original features a woman looking back to the right of the parchment used for the art. In Redd’s forged piece, the woman could be looking to the left, but another fake version has the woman appear much larger. If the lady in the painting you see takes up too much space, don’t buy it.

Jolly Painting (Summer)

This artwork features a man composed of vegetables and other crops, but perhaps the most distinct part of the original piece is a flower of wheat sprouting from the figure’s chest. Redd’s version of this painting lacks the wheat flower, letting you know it’s fake.

Famous Painting (Mona Lisa)

Arguably, this painting is the most well-known, so you should be able to spot its differences with what Redd provides. The fake artwork shows the titular Mona Lisa with incredibly risen eyebrows, lending a more mischievous look instead of the serene grace of the original.

Scary Painting (Ōtani Oniji III As Yakko Edobei)

Like it was mentioned earlier, this painting simply has its expression changed in Redd’s version. Instead of the menacing look from the real artwork, Redd has one that looks worried, or even happy, changing the intent and demeanor of the piece into something false.

Scenic Painting (The Hunters In The Snow)

This painting depicts a group of hunters traveling with a pack of dogs into what appears to be a small village. Redd’s version only shows a few dogs and hunters, but the original features a much larger pack, helping you distinguish the forgery from what’s real.

Moving Painting (The Birth Of Venus)

The changes in Redd’s fake for this painting come down to one easy-to-miss detail, as both versions show the birth of a Roman goddess from classical myth. The real artwork has a forest of trees in its background, while Redd leaves that landscape to only picture barren hills, revealing how his is fake.

Amazing Painting (The Night Watch)

Only one small change marks a fake from Redd with this painting, a comforting fact considering the amount of detail in this artwork. The original has the lead character, the one with the red beard, wearing a black hat. This detail is missing from Redd’s piece, so don’t bother purchasing it from him.

Quaint Painting (The Milkmaid)

This painting sees the titular Milkmaid pouring out a small trickle of dairy into a relatively small bowl. Yet, in Redd’s offered work, the Milkmaid pours out a far larger stream of milk, indicating a small but key difference that sets it apart as a forgery.

Solemn Painting (Las Meninas)

It’s almost impossible to notice the difference between the original and fake versions of this painting, as each are nearly identical. Those with keen eyes can spot that the man in the background has his arm raised higher in Redd’s painting compared to the original, giving away a core clue that reveals the work’s fake nature.

Basic Painting (The Blue Boy)

This painting depicts a young boy, whose hairstyle reflects a common part seen during the time it was made. Redd offers you a version of this painting where the boy has a more modern haircut, with far more hair that completely covers his forehead, a large departure from the original that gives away how fake it is.

Wild Painting Left Half (Folding Screen Of Fujin And Raijin)

This painting comes in two parts, collapsing into a folding screen that shows two gods locked in combat. In the original, the god on the left half of the screen has a pure white color, but Redd’s version shows it in a much darker shade. This swaps the color of the other god, indicating that Redd’s piece is a false showing of the mystical figure.

Wild Painting Right Half (Folding Screen Of Fujin And Raijin)

This is the other half of the above painting, showing the other god on the folding screen. This god is originally shown as a dark deity, with storm clouds surrounding a figure with olive skin. Redd shows the figure in this painting as purely white, like the god on the left half of the screen is supposed to be, showing a clear error that markes his work as fake.

Detailed Painting (Ajisai Sokeizu)

This painting has more than one error in the version Redd tries to sell you. Unlike the original, Redd’s art is missing a signature on the left side, while also changing the color of the plants in the piece from blue to purple. This gross mistakes takes away from the synergy of the real work, letting you know how worthless Redd’s offered art is.

Warrior Statue (Terracotta Warrior)

This Terracotta statue is usually one of many, not holding anything between its folded hands along with its counterparts. Redd tries to give you a version of this statue that holds a weapon, but this clearly indicates that it is a fake.

Motherly Statue (Captoline Wolf)

This statue shows a wolf helping feed two young babies, but the original version has the wolf with a fierce expression, while Redd’s version has its tongue out. This relaxed replication of the real work makes the protector wolf appear docile, giving you enough information to mark it as a fake.

Beautiful Statue (Venus de Milo)

This statue normally shows a naked woman from the waist up, with no additional clothing hiding her intended beauty. Redd’s version of this statue adds a necklace, giving an extra detail that indicates its false status.

Robust Statue (Discobolus)

This statue shows a man about to throw a discus, likely from an ancient competition. It makes no sense then for Redd’s statue of this figure to be wearing a watch on his wrist, a fake accessory that would have never been applied to a classical sculpture like this one.

Gallant Statue (David)

The David is, much like the Mona Lisa, likely the most famous sculpture ever made, making it easier to spot a fake’s differences. The version of this piece Redd tries to sell you has a book under its arm, an added detail not present in the real artwork.

Informative Statue (Rosetta Stone)

Anyone with vague knowledge of the famous Rosetta Stone should know that it doesn’t glow in the dark. Redd’s fake stone has a blue coloration instead of black, and visibly shines in darkness, revealing a cheap, almost gimmick-like property to the item that lessens its value to nothing.

Ancient Statue (Jomon Period ‘Dogu’ Figurine Shakoki-dogu)

This small statue has a figure that looks almost alien in how it is depicted. However, Redd takes this concept too far, with his version of the statue adding unnecessary antennae to the top of the figurine’s head. In addition, the fake has glowing blue eyes in the dark, another extra feature that gives it away.

Tremendous Statue (Houmuwu Ding)

This statue is a magnificent container, with aged metal on both its interior and exterior. While the original is open to investigate, Redd’s fake version has an added lid that closes off part of the sculpture, revealing how false it truly is.

Mystic Statue (Bust of Nefertiti)

This statue is the head of an ancient figure, with plenty of noble assortments to show their likely revered status. That being said, Redd’s fake statue has an additional earring on the bust’s right ear, on the left side of where you look at it.

Rock-Head Statue (Olmec Colossal Head)

This massive stone head has very straightforward features, including its expression. To spot the fake, notice how Redd’s version has upturned lips to form a smile, creating a happier look that isn’t present in the real artwork.

Valiant Statue (Nike Of Samothrace)

This statue depicts Nike, the goddess of victory, stepping forward to move closer to the viewer. Redd’s version of this statue is nearly the same, but the fake that Redd sells has Nike stepping forward with her left leg, while the original sees the figure take their first stride with their right instead.

Every Real Art Piece From Jolly Redd

Know The Masterpieces You Don’t Need To Investigate

Not everything Jolly Redd sells is a complete fake, as the character does have some genuine masterpieces in his collection. Once you’ve spotted the differences in Redd’s fake works, you can happily start purchasing them or any of the art pieces in his inventory that are always guaranteed to be authentic.

Out of the many features in AC: New Horizons, the trickery of Jolly Redd is a staple from past games, but keep in mind that his fake and genuine works have been changed from past games.

The pieces listed below will always be the real deal, so don’t waste your time looking for differences that you’ll never find:

• Familiar Statue (The Thinker )
• Great Statue (King Kamehameha I )
• Perfect Painting (Apples and Oranges )
• Twinkling Painting (The Starry Night)
• Mysterious Painting (Isle of the Dead )
• Proper Painting (A Bar at the Folies-Bergère )
• Nice Painting (The Fifer )
• Sinking Painting (Ophelia )
• Common Painting (The Gleaners )
• Glowing Painting (The Fighting Temeraire )
• Worthy Painting (Liberty Leading the People )
• Dynamic Painting (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji the Great Wave Off Kangawa )
• Moody Painting (The Sower )
• Flowery Painting (Sunflowers )
• Calm Painting (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte )
• Warm Painting (The Clothed Maja )
• Familiar Statue(The Thinker)
• Great Statue(King Kamehameha)

Feel free to buy any of these paintings to help Redd with his Museum endeavor, as any of them would make fine works of art in the space. Knowing which of Jolly Redd’s art is fake or real in Animal Crossing: New Horizons will help Blathers fulfill his vision, creating a glorious art wing in the Museum that everyone will want to visit.