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Attribution
The main difference between an
authentication and an attribution, is that in the case
of authentications the question is generally: is it
genuine, or is it a copy, a reproduction or a forgery?
Authentication is largely a yes or no question.
Attribution deals mostly with authorship. The issue at
hand is that one does not know who painted the work.
Authenticity is not in question.
Generally the painting is not signed, but sometimes it
is with a signature added later. Sometimes there is no
history either, or very little, no documentation, and no
provenance; which means that we don't know who owned it
in the past.
The materials, the condition, the subject and the style,
allow us to place the painting in a certain place at a
certain time.
In some instances, such as if a painting has been
relined, or transferred to a different support, we may
need x-ray photographs and other scientific tests. Once
we are satisfied that a painting is from a certain place
and period, we move on to identifying the specific
artist. If the painting is immediately reminiscent of a
particular painter, we check it out. If it is not, we
make a list of all the possible authors and proceed by
elimination, performing series of comparative analyses.
The most basic are subject, composition and style. We
tackle them one by one. In total we perform up to 45
different series of analyses.
Progressively, the number of possibilities shrinks, and
we end up with just one painter.
This is a short summary of the attribution process. It
consists among other things in methodical and systematic
series of comparative analyses, each focusing on one
particular aspect, characteristic, or element of the
painting, as compared to the same in his known works.
Scientific tests help to support or confirm some facts,
but by themselves they are rarely sufficient to identify
a painter.
Another approach is to check if in the literature,
history and archives about this artist, we could be so
lucky as to find some information, some historic
reference perhaps, which would support or confirm the
attribution.
We consign our research and conclusions in a report and
if they are positive we issue a certificate to the
owner.
Any painting that has been properly attributed to a
particular artist increases instantly in value.
Information increases the value of art and the most
important piece of information is who executed the work.
The cost of researching a painting is minimal. If you
own an unidentified painting, we strongly encourage you
to contact us.
Dancers in Blue by Edgar Degas
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