I. Gathering Evidence: Looking at the Object
Start with the evidence provided by the object itself. Gather as much information as you can by thoroughly examining the front, back, and all sides (including the inside, if applicable) of the piece. Look first for a signature and a date. If the signature is illegible, copy it and see what possible letters the artist’s name starts with—if you can identify the first three letters you have a good start. Write down all possible variations if any letters are ambiguous.
Look for any marks that might have been part of the creating or manufacturing process: signatures; monograms; hallmarks; stamps; inscriptions on the back, stretchers, frame, or base; foundry markings. If it is a painting, look at the stretchers; were they manufactured commercially? If so, this will give an indication of the age of the work. If a sculpture is cast bronze, look for foundry marks, copyright date, edition number, and where the foundry is located. Look also for markings that would give clues about the history of the object: gallery labels, exhibition labels, auction labels, or owners’ stamps.
With paintings and works on paper, always examine the back of the object. There is often a great deal of information—inscriptions, labels, dealer numbers, collector’s marks—on the stretcher or the back of a canvas or sheet of paper. With sculpture, look underneath and (if it is hollow cast) inside the object for inscriptions or signs of its age.
Take photos or make drawings of these marks exactly as they look—no detail is too small to dismiss. Make notes on exactly where the marks appear.
Determine what the object is made of and what materials/techniques the artist used, as specifically as possible. If the object is a painting, is it oil, acrylic, watercolor, tempera, or other material? Is a work on paper an original or is it a multiple? (look for an edition number, e.g. 3/50). If the work is a print, is it an engraving, etching, wood cut, aquatint, serigraph, silkscreen, lithograph, something else? If it is a sculpture, is it bronze, plaster, wood, marble, stone, mixed media, other? Many of the books listed in this guide include descriptions and illustrations that will help you to identify the materials and techniques used to create a work of art.
Look at a print or drawing under strong magnification, or a 10x loop. If there is color, do you see uneven pooling of color? This might indicate an engraving, hand-colored with watercolors. Can you see how the artist achieved halftones (gray areas)? Is there cross-hatching or do you see an overall stipple effect? Study the differences between etchings, engravings, and other kinds of prints to become familiar with what characterizes the different techniques.
Additionally, try to determine what type of surface the art is created on. If it is a painting, is it on stretched canvas or linen, a panel, a board, a piece of paper, or a piece of paper mounted on a canvas? It is a collage? There are many possibilities.
Make notes on whatever information you have on the object’s history: when and where you got it, what you know about its prior ownership, any information provided by previous owners or dealers. Make note of the source of each piece of information. Don’t assume that anecdotes passed along by former collectors and family history about the object are necessarily factual, but collect them nevertheless.
Make additional notes about the condition of the work. Condition affects value. For sale or legal purposes the condition of a work of art must be determined by a professional. However, you can look for discoloration along the mat edge, which is caused by non-archival matting materials and creates a dark yellow-orange to brown acid burn where the mat meets the paper. Additionally, older pieces are often framed with corrugated cardboard, which also burns the paper and creates staining that can cause striated dark burn marks. On an oil painting the varnish is often yellowed and discolored. Many paintings have an overall pattern of small hairline cracks called craquelure. If any of the paint is lifting or cupping, the paint is unstable and should be looked at by a professional conservator. Make notes of tears, missing paint, discoloration, and staining.
