Almost a century ago, art theorist Walter Benjamin proposed that reproduction technologies were bound to destroy the aura of works of art by replicating their presence beyond the original. Today we live in the age of digital replication, but museums, collectors, and viewers still prize original works for being unique creations.

However, art objects made for devotion bypass the distinction between original and copy by holding auras that are reproducible. High-fidelity copies of non-devotional objects—as well as some works of contemporary art—may too be said to restore the aura of the original work when this has suffered damage or destruction.

In this talk, cultural historian Maurizio Peleggi interrogates notions of originals and copies in the form of duplicated and remade artworks. Drawing on his recent research, Peleggi argues that restoration, replication and even forgery may be regarded as means to reinforce, revive, and multiply the aura or power of presence of art objects. Additionally, the original and replica of an artwork may both prove authentic if they meet the expectation of viewers—by performing miraculous feats or stirring up emotional responses.