Before buying or selling an artwork, it helps to distinguish three concepts that are often confused: authenticity, attribution and provenance. Authenticity asks whether the work is what it is represented to be. Attribution expresses the level of certainty connecting a work to an artist. Provenance reconstructs, as far as possible, its ownership history.
No single document resolves every case. A responsible review combines examination of the work with records, history, medium, condition and specialist knowledge. The greater the value or complexity of the attribution, the more important it is to identify which additional review may be required.
A signature may be consistent with an artwork, added at a different time, incomplete or in need of comparison. It should not be treated as the sole proof of authorship.
Other relevant elements may include:
The absence of a signature does not automatically mean that a work is false. Some unsigned works may be supported by other evidence.
Provenance is the known sequence of owners and transfers. A complete chain may be difficult to reconstruct, especially for older works. The essential point is to distinguish documented information from oral statements.
Useful records may include:
Provenance provides context and may support an attribution, but it must be assessed critically. A document may refer to another work, contain mistakes or fail to establish the full history being claimed.
The word “certificate” does not guarantee that a document has sufficient authority. Ask:
1. Who issued it? 2. When was it issued? 3. Does it identify the work with an image, dimensions and medium? 4. Does it address authenticity, attribution or provenance only? 5. Can it be verified with the issuer? 6. Does it match the artwork being offered?
For some artists there may be an archive, foundation, committee, recognized expert or catalogue raisonné. For others, the available framework is different. Institutional validation should never be claimed when it has not been obtained.
Prints, lithographs, screenprints and other multiples require precise technical descriptions. It is important to distinguish:
A number written in pencil may indicate an impression’s place within an edition, but it must be considered together with the signature, paper, publisher or printer’s stamp, technique and records. An image based on a known composition is not necessarily an autograph work by the artist who created the original composition.
The Graphic Art category offers examples of different techniques and catalogue descriptions.
Authenticity and condition are not the same issue. An authentic artwork may have substantial alterations affecting its appearance, conservation or value.
Depending on the medium, review:
Where appropriate, a condition report by a conservator can document the work’s state and distinguish later interventions.
Inclusion in a catalogue raisonné or specialist publication may provide important information when the reference clearly matches the artwork. An auction result may also provide market history, but it does not establish authenticity by itself and does not determine current value.
Comparable prices require careful interpretation. Medium, date, dimensions, quality, provenance, condition and sale context may create substantial differences between works by the same artist.
Request and retain:
When authorship is uncertain, wording such as “attributed to,” “studio of,” “circle of,” “school of,” or “after” should be used where appropriate instead of presenting undocumented certainty.
Cassia House can perform an initial review of the available information and provide guidance on possible next steps within its field. Depending on the artwork, external specialists, archives, foundations, conservators or technical analysis may be required.
To explore available works, visit Buy Argentine Art and Private Collections. To submit a work, see Sell an Artwork and Art Appraisal and the Secondary Market.
For a specific enquiry, send photographs and available records through the contact page.
For more detail on techniques, editions and documentation, read Prints, Lithographs and Screenprints: Buying Guide and International Masters and Graphic Art.
Content reviewed by Cassia House, Buenos Aires. Updated August 2026.
