Impressions and States

Some plates have been printed and reprinted over the course of centuries. 19th and early 20th Century impressions have been taken from a good many 16th and 17th Century plates. These late printings, while still original works of art, do not carry either the artistic or economic value of the initial printings. One can, for example, determine the value of a Rembrandt etching by its printed date, and this is discerned by the clarity of the impression. Intaglio and relief methods of printmaking will show wear through repeated printings. In some cases, the late impression will only be a ghost-like relation to the early printing. The difference in value may be as great as $ 50,000.00 to $500.00.

During the course of an artist’s life, he would sometimes alter the image on a finished plate that had previously been printed. This could be with the addition or elimination of a minor line, or by drastic changes to the entire image. Rembrandt often introduced new characters or reconstructed major buildings before taking further impressions.

Any deliberate alteration by the artist constitutes a new state. Some etchings and engravings have passed through as many as twenty states. A late or posthuminous impression will always be the final state. Catalogue raisonnes exist on all famous printmakers and the collector is urged to thoroughly investigate these sources before making a major purchase.

Fakes, Forgeries and Photomechanical Copies

Prints by master artists command large sums of money. For centuries forgers have been as active in this field as in painting. Usually a forgery contains a mistake which can be rooted out with the catalogue raisonne.

A more common pitfall is the photomechanical copy. During the late 19th Century a process was invented whereby an image could be photographically engraved on a plate. This creates a mirror image of the original work and is on occasion so well reproduced that the only means of detection lies in finding the characteristic network pattern of microscopic dots produced on the paper by photography. A reliable magnifying glass is the essential tool of the collector.

Limited Editions and Signed Prints

Before 1860, artists would sign a completed work in the plate or on the block or stone. The idea of actually signing a particular impression in pencil and creating and numbering a set edition didn’t really catch fire until about 1910.

In general, signed impressions of 20th Century prints are worth more than unsigned impressions, unless that print wasn’t signed at all, as is the case with some of the works which were commissioned by art journals. Of course, forgers are as adept at signatures as they are at reproducing designs.

Signed and Limited Reproductions

Such great painters as Raphael and Rubens actively influenced the graphic arts without becoming printmakers. Rather, they entrusted their compositions to highly skilled engravers. These engravers made their living by interpreting the drawings or paintings of their masters. The relation that existed, for instance, between Raphael (the painter) and Marco Antonio Raymond (the engraver) was perfectly harmonious. Each was a master in his medium. Marco Antonio’s genius was his ability to translate the nuances of Raphael into engraving. When viewed as an analogy to music one can state that the artistry of a fine reproductive engraver is akin to a master conductor bringing to life the score of a composer. Both are viewed as artists in their own right.

As stated at the beginning, a print is an original work of art when the artist deliberately selects a graphic method to creatively portray his image. In our day the art market is glutted with signed and numbered reproductions of paintings which are photographically printed from lithographic stones. Is the “artist” making these things? Where is the original act of creativity in a photographic reproduction of a painting?

The answers are painfully obvious. These are not original works of art but mere photographs of art, a bit better done than a backyard snapshot but still belonging to the same family. In many cases, unfortunate individuals have squandered more than a thousand dollars on some enterprising painters autograph.

The market for these unfortunate reproductions is kept artificially afloat by both the public’s lack of awareness and by an immense amount of sales hype, complete with useless certificates. No amount of sales talk, however, can conceal the fact that these items have never and will never appear in the international catalogues of Sotheby’s and Christies’ where any original artwork is listed.

Determining Values

Prints generally follow the same monetary rules as paintings and sculpture. The value of the piece is determined by the importance of the artist, the condition and state of the work, its rarity and whether or not it represents a good or poor example of what the artist was capable of.

Information provided by: http://www.artoftheprint.com/