Collector’s Guide

Spend time with composition, line, colour, surface and scale before focusing on a name. A compelling drawing can reveal an artist thinking; a painting may reward close attention to gesture, light or material. Compare works in museums and exhibitions to develop a sense of quality.

Ask what draws you to the work, what you know about it, and what remains uncertain. A collector’s interests can become more precise through looking and conversation.

A catalogue heading carries meaning. An artist’s name without qualification generally presents the work as by that artist. “Attributed to” expresses a qualified opinion; “workshop of”, “circle of”, “follower of” and “after” indicate different relationships to the named artist. Definitions and guarantees depend on the seller’s stated terms.

Read the full description and ask for the evidence behind an attribution. A signature, an old label or an expert opinion is part of a dossier; each needs to be considered in context.

Request dimensions, medium, clear front and reverse photographs, the known ownership history and a condition report. Ask whether there are restorations, alterations, mounting issues or relevant scholarly opinions. Seeing a work in person can reveal information that photographs miss.

Keep the invoice, catalogue entry, correspondence and any accompanying reports together. This record will help future research and the care of the work.

At auction, the hammer price is the winning bid. The amount payable normally also includes the buyer’s premium and any applicable taxes or other charges described in the sale conditions. Packing, transport, insurance and framing may be separate.

For a private sale, ask what the quoted price includes and agree the practical arrangements before committing. Auction results should be compared on the same basis: hammer prices and totals including premium are different figures.

Paper and painted surfaces can be sensitive to light, moisture, temperature changes and unsuitable mounting materials. Ask a qualified conservator or framer for advice suited to the particular object, especially before cleaning, reframing or changing its display.

Store documentation and detailed photographs so that the condition can be followed over time. Historic frames, mounts, labels and backboards may also carry evidence worth preserving.

A conventional term for artists and works belonging to the historic European traditions before the modern period. Its chronological limits vary. In this collection, the Old Masters filter covers 1400–1800; the other periods are the nineteenth century and modern art.

The history of a work’s ownership and movement, as far as it can be documented. Invoices, collection inventories, sale catalogues, photographs and marks can contribute evidence. Gaps should remain visible rather than being filled by assumption.

The scholarly identification of the artist or artistic context responsible for a work. It brings together visual evidence, technique, documents and comparisons. An attribution may evolve when new evidence or research becomes available.

The trained visual judgement developed through sustained looking and comparison. It helps assess authorship, quality, condition and significance, and works most convincingly alongside documentary and technical evidence.

A scholarly inventory of an artist’s known works, usually including images, descriptions, provenance and references. Its scope, date and attribution policy matter; later research can supplement or revise earlier entries.

The front and back of a sheet. The reverse may preserve another drawing, an inscription, a collector’s mark or evidence of an earlier mount, and can be as informative as the front.

A preparatory model for a larger work, often a relatively finished drawing or painted study. It could be used to develop the design or present it to a patron before execution.

A preliminary sketch or small model used to explore a composition. In painting it is often an oil sketch; the term can also describe a sculptor’s exploratory model.

A trace of a change made during the creation of a work, such as a repositioned figure or contour. Some changes are visible to the eye; others become clearer through technical imaging. Such evidence needs interpretation in context.

Red chalk, valued for its warm tone and ability to suggest flesh, volume and soft transitions. It is widely encountered in European drawings from the Renaissance onward.

A drawing technique combining black, red and white chalk, often on toned paper. The different colours can articulate shadows, warm flesh and highlights.

A fluid application of diluted ink or watercolour. Wash can establish shadow, atmosphere and volume, either on its own or over a drawing in pen or chalk.

A design formed in paper during manufacture, often visible in transmitted light. Comparison with documented examples can help investigate a sheet’s origin or date, although it rarely settles these questions on its own.

A stamp or other identifying mark associated with a collector or institution. Many are recorded in Frits Lugt’s reference work and its continuing online resource. A mark can support provenance research when its identity and use are verified.

A description of the work’s physical state, including visible damage, repairs, alterations and, where known, conservation history. Ask who prepared it, when and on what basis, and whether unframing or technical examination was undertaken.

An international art fair in Maastricht, widely associated with Old Master paintings and drawings as well as other fields of fine art, antiques and design. It offers an opportunity to compare works presented by specialist dealers.

A transaction negotiated outside public auction, directly or through a dealer or adviser. Price, scope of documentation, payment, delivery and any specific conditions are agreed between the parties.

In an auction catalogue, an indicative range of expected hammer prices. It is not a guaranteed result and normally excludes the buyer’s premium. Valuations for insurance, estate or other purposes may use different bases and should be identified accordingly.

Italian for a nude figure; in art-historical usage, especially one of the seated male nudes painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The plural is ignudi.

The period in France usually placed between the late nineteenth century and the First World War, often dated approximately 1871–1914. The term evokes a rich range of academic painting, society portraiture and images of modern urban life.