Authenticity (Signing Works?)

[Julianna]

Hi, everyone.

I have another "newbie" question: How do you handle authenticating and/or signing your sculptures? I have some clients wanting to know how they can "prove" my work is mine. Currently, they really can't do that outside of the catalouge of my work (i.e. my website). I work in stone, so I can't make a signature a part of the mould---although I've been trying to figure out how I can engrave something onto the stone. I've also had some suggestions for certificates of authenticity, but I'm not sure what to do with that.

Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated.

J

[jwebb]

I work in stone, and I engrave or scratch a signature or at least initials and a year into a surface that seems like it won't spoil the best view of the piece. I don't know if this is right, wrong, uncool, illegal or passe'. I have a wonderful book of the works of Jose' de Creeft, a great stone carver, and that's what he did. So that's what I do. Sometimes I anguish over it. So far it seems to work, and no gallery types or other busy bodies have hassled me about it.

[fritchie]

Julianna and jwebb - I work almost exclusively in figurative bronze, which of course is cast. Normally, I have refused to sign on the figure itself, as I consider this a defacement of sorts. (The classical Greeks carved dedicatory inscriptions all over the piece. I have seen illustrations of dedications running fully across both legs, though I don’t remember inscriptions on others parts of the body.) To avoid defacing figures this way, I have added unobtrusive elements such as a small cloth held in the hand, or a stone resting next to the body.

Personally, I dislike certificates of authenticity. I think the sculptor’s identity should be part of the piece in some manner. I would suggest a name and year, or initials and year, in an unobtrusive spot as jwebb has suggested.

[Araich]

I would scratch your initials into the base (add your initials to your website, so that it can be searched for), and offer to verify authorship by letter/receipt if asked.
I just cut either my surname or initials into larger work, and paint pen onto little ones, where it cannot easily be seen.
You could engrave with a tungsten bur and die grinder - though I don't know how long it would stay sharp.

[rderr.com]

Sometimes the signature is a work of art in itself. In the anthropomorphic pieces if the occasion presents the signet ring is a very good support for signature. I agree with fritchie that the work should be so evidently the work of the artist that a signature is not needed. Mike only sighed one piece “Pieta” because of an indiscreetly overheard conversation attributing “IT” to someone else. Where I disagree is the certificate of authenticity. They are a very good place to talk of creativity-where IDEAS come from. My favorite is a recipe for the Italian dish "Osco bocce" as a source of the materials to do the “ivory” inlay on the ebony finger

[anne (bxl)]

Altough the signature doesn't increase the artistic value of a work I guess it is a necessity as part of the contract between the artist and the buyer, and so, as Fritchie said it has to be part of the piece in some manner. The invoice should be an additionnal certificate of authenticity on the first hand market.

I seal with my initials every piece of wax separatly (and not the prototype) so the signature may also serve as a "bon-à-tirer" (ready for casting) by the foundry. The pieces are numered after casting (1/1 or 1/8 or whatever...). So in case of default a piece could be refused or numered as a non commercial artist proof (numered I/I I/IV...) at low cost if you wish so.

[sculptor]

Deny some nextgen art historian 3 degrees of freedom by cataloguing your own work?

Who would know Tolnay if not for the confusion?