Collecting guides
RSS feed
How to Read Signatures and Inscriptions on Antique Paintings
A signature is a clue, not a verdict. Where to look, how to read monograms and dates, and the red flags that separate real signatures from added ones.

Original, Copy, or After: What Old Master Copies Are Worth
Before photography, a copy was the only way to own a famous image. Why period copies were made, who painted them, and how the market values them today.

Relined, Restored, Craquelure: Understanding Condition in Antique Paintings
Craquelure is not damage and relined is not a defect. What condition terms really mean on a painting that has survived two centuries, and how to judge them.
