Judging the Authenticity of Prints by The Masters:
by David Rudd Cycleback

Chapter 22 : Making a Final Opinion

(c) cycleback 2003, 2005 all rights reserved

There is no equation for determining authenticity. To make a judgment you should take into consideration a variety of qualities and factors. Avoid using just one quality to make a judgment, such as looking only at the paper or only at the provenance. Looking at just one quality can lean to an erroneous conclusion. If a 2005 forger make a computer print on a 300 year old sheet of laid paper, you would incorrectly judge the age of the print if you looked only at the paper. A good judgment about authenticity should take into consideration the following types of, if not exact, questions. What do you know about the artist’s prints and their history? Were the artist’s prints commonly reprinted or faked over the years, and what the do the reprints or fakes look like? Do you know who are the experts on the artist? Is the print listed in a catalogue raisonne and how does the print match the catalogue listing (size, numbering, etc)? What is the documented provenance? This includes past sales, the current seller, letter of authenticity, etc. Does this documentation show or at support that the print is authentic? Is the print on the correct paper, or at least on paper consistent with the correct? For example, if the print is supposed to be from 1500s, the paper should be laid. Is the paper incorrect with the print being original? If the paper is wove or fluoresces under black light, the print couldn’t be an original Albrecht Durer. Is the printing correct, or at least consistent with being correct? If the print is supposed to be an engraving, does it have a plate mark and the general appearance of an engraving? Is the printing clearly inconsistent with the print being an original? If the print is supposed to be a linoleum cut, a halftone dot pattern would clearly show it’s a reprint. Don’t forget to get a second opinion if you need or will feel safer with one. What is the seller’s authenticity guarantee, return policy and reliability? When you know you can return an expensive print for a refund if it turns out to be a fake, answering the previous questions is not so life and death. cycleback.com................conceits main (c) david rudd cycleback, cyclback.com all rights reserved

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