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LONDON — When British collector Martin Lang submitted one of his paintings to a French committee, he was hoping to find out if it was an authentic work by Marc Chagall.

But not only did the Chagall Committee declare the painting a forgery, it said Lang’s painting should be burned under strict French laws that protect artists’ works.

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Lang, 63, said Monday he was frustrated with the decision but he still hopes the painting will be returned to him.

Describing his shock at the ruling, Lang said: “It was just total disbelief that they would want to destroy it.”

“I’m not attacking the committee — I just want them to please reconsider. They could just mark it unoriginal and send it back,” he told The Associated Press.

The businessman bought the watercolour of a reclining nude woman for 100,000 pounds in 1992 from a London-based art consultant. The work was not authenticated, but it was believed to be a Chagall dating from around 1909 to 1910.