Professor Stokes is an expert consultant on handwriting, paranormal activity, the I-Ching... and now art? The man is practically a super hero!
This makes me think about the image many people have of "brainy" people: they're sometimes thought to be of a different species from "regular" people almost, who just sort of know everything because they're so smart. It's sort of like when a lot of C students assume the As come easily to A students without effort.
A poorly written sci-fi movie sometimes shows the scientist suddenly spouting the answers to the big mystery without giving reasons, without his having to go through much of any process to find those answers out. It all seems just to come to him late in the movie... because he's a genius. In 1968 I remember Stokes doing that with Eve's prior identity, etc.. I think attributing every kind of expertise on Earth to Stokes might be another example. Them smart guys they knows everythin'!!
The writing I like respects our intelligence, shows us the logic behind the experts' thought process in case some of us might follow it.
The reason that Amanda didn't age has nothing to do with her portrait.
Exactly. That's what I was talking about. The DS reason for A Harris not aging wasn't her portrait(s). They felt they had to make up an entirely different, totally unnecessary reason for it, even though since Tate painted her and some portraits still exist apparently, this
automatically makes her immortal.