Authentication & Attribution

What it is. Authentication and attribution address the question of who made a work, when, and under what circumstances — and, where the evidence permits, how confidently that conclusion can be held.

Method. We combine several independent lines of evidence rather than relying on any one of them: connoisseurship (comparison against an artist's documented body of work), technical examination coordinated with qualified conservators and laboratories (materials, pigment, support, and construction consistent with the claimed date and hand), and documentary research (exhibition history, contemporary correspondence, dealer records). Where a catalogue raisonné or artist's foundation exists, we work within its established process rather than around it.

Why it matters. Attribution is rarely a binary yes or no. A responsible opinion distinguishes between securely attributed, attributed with qualification, and insufficient evidence to attribute, and explains the basis for each. Overstating certainty is as much a failure of the work as understating it.

How to engage. We review what documentation and technical evidence already exist before defining what additional examination, if any, is warranted. Findings are delivered as a written opinion, scoped and dated, and — where relevant — with clear recommendations for further technical study. By appointment.