If an identical painting moves you less after learning it is a copy, what were you admiring?

If a painting moves you less once you learn it is a copy, then part of what moved you was the story of contact with the maker’s hand. That is not a shameful thing to want; provenance carries real meaning for people. But it does mean the response was never purely to what your eyes were doing.

Use the question rather than being caught by it. When something’s value drops on learning its origin, ask what exactly changed, since the object did not. Sometimes the answer is that you were valuing status, and that is worth knowing. Sometimes it is that connection to a person genuinely matters to you, which is worth knowing too.