Ready Reference Files

Appraisals and Identification of Art, Antiques, and Collectibles

The following information is reproduced with permission from the Ask Joan of Art!^® FAQ section of the Smithsonian American Art Museum website.

How do I begin researching a painting or sculpture in my collection?

Gather any information you may already have on hand, such as the artist's name, title of the work, date of the work (general or specific), style, subject matter, and previous owner. You may want to consult a survey of art history book to familiarize yourself with artistic styles and movements. Assess the information you have, and determine what else you would like to know.

There are numerous sources of information for you to refer to while researching your painting or sculpture. The best place to start is a public or university library. Ask your librarian for assistance; he or she will direct you to helpful sources.

If you know the artist's name, you may want to consult biographical dictionaries. They are usually divided into regions or time periods and provide basic information, such as life dates, education, exhibitions, and collection information.

If the artist is native to your area, you may want to contact state or local historical societies or museums for further information because the artist may not be listed in large biographical dictionaries. If you have only a signature or initials with which to work, consult an artist signature or monogram dictionary for help.

If you are uncertain about the date of your artwork, your basic research on the artist should help you narrow the date. If you have clues regarding style and date of work, but no artist information, you can still track the origins of your painting or sculpture with careful research. The provenance (former owner or location) and history of the artwork itself are important, too. Check family records for any information regarding the acquisition of a particular work, or talk to relatives who may know something about the piece. If you recently acquired your painting or sculpture, try to obtain details from the dealer or previous owner.

Don't feel discouraged if you are unable to uncover the mysteries of your work of art. Sometimes it is very difficult to determine the artist or other information about a particular piece.

How can I determine the value of my work of art?

Smithsonian Institution policy dictates that no staff member may offer monetary evaluations. The following information, however, should help you appraise your artwork.

Paintings and sculpture have such an individual nature that fixed values are difficult to establish. Many factors determine prices asked and amounts offered for works of art: condition of the work, personal interests of both seller and purchaser, and trends in the market.

Begin by consulting pricing guides to determine current sale and auction prices. You can find these guides in specialized art bookstores, university or art museum libraries, and, occasionally, in large public libraries. Such price indexes are usually published annually and cover international auctions and galleries. See below for specific resources.

The following service provides estimates based on international auction prices of the last five years, with prices corrected for inflation.

Telepraisal
P.O. Box 20686
New York, N.Y. 10009
Tel: (800) 645-6002, 212 614-9090

You might also want to contact art professionals for current value estimates, such as dealers engaged in buying and selling antiques, appraisers attached to sales galleries, and official appraisers of local probate courts.

You can find information on providers of these services in collectors' magazines, the yellow pages, or other sources available from a reference librarian in your local library. Although the following organizations do not provide appraisals themselves, they each publish a directory of their member appraisers:

American Society of Appraisers
555 Herndon Parkway, Suite 125
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: (703) 478-2228; (800) 272-8258

or

Appraisers Association of America
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 2000
New York, N.Y. 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5404

The American Society of Appraisers and the Appraisers Association of America also offer computerized referral service for locating an appraiser in your area.

Can I find information on researching my art collection at my local library? If so, can you suggest a few titles to get me started?

Yes, your local library is a good place to begin your research. The titles listed below are divided by category and address a variety of information needs. Check with your librarian for further information.

American Art Survey Books

Brown, Milton W., et al. American Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Decorative Arts, Photography. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1979.

Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1994.

Prown, Jules David. American Painting from Its Beginnings to the Armory Show. New York: Rizzoli, 1987.

Biographical Dictionaries

Groce, George C., and David H. Wallace. The New-York Historical Society's Dictionary of Artists in America 1564-1860. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957.

Falk, Peter Hastings, Who Was Who in American Art. Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1985.

Opitz, Glenn B., ed. Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Apollo Book, 1983.

Petteys, Chris. Dictionary of Women Artists: An International Dictionary of Women Artists Born Before 1900. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1985.

Who's Who in American Art. New Providence, N.J.: R. R. Bowker. Published annually.

Signature and Monogram Dictionaries

Castagno, John. American Artists: Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1989. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1990.

Castagno, John. European Artists: Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1990. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1990.

Falk, Peter Hastings. Dictionary of Signatures and Monograms of American Artists. Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1988.

Materials, Techniques, and Conservation

Bachmann, Konstanze, ed. Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators. New York: Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design; Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.

Carr, Dawson W., and Mark Leonard. Looking at Paintings: A Guide to Technical Terms. Malibu, Calif.: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1992.

Dolloff, Francis W. How to Care for Works of Art on Paper. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1971.

Snyder, Jill. Caring for Your Art. New York: Allworth Press, 1990.

Taylor, Joshua C. Learning to Look: A Handbook for the Visual Arts. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.

The National Committee to Save America's Cultural Collections. Caring for Your Collections: Preserving Your Art and Other Collectibles. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992.

Price Indexes

Each index is published annually.

ArtFact (CD-ROM). North Kingstown, R.I.: ArtFact, Inc.

Hislop, Richard, ed. The Art Sales Index. Surrey, England: Art Sales Index, Ltd. (also available on CD-ROM)

Mayer, E. International Auction Records. New York: Archer Fields Press. (also available on CD-ROM)

Theran, Susan. Leonard's Annual Price Index of Art Auctions. Newton, Mass.: Auction Index, Inc. (also available on CD-ROM)

Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum, http://americanart.si.edu/, visited 5/16/02
Organization websites

Verified by: ES 10/06

Disclaimer:
While the Library has verified the information presented in these files in what it considers to be reliable and authoritative sources, it cannot take responsibility for nor guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.