In art authentication, the question of the age of a painting, the date when it was created, is of great significance.

Obviously, to have been created by a specific artist, the work of art that is under consideration must date from when that artist was alive and painting.

To a professional art historian, the age of a painting is distinctly visible from the type of materials used, their wear and tear, their discoloration, the age cracks in the paint and even the particular pattern of the craquelure. Accordingly, to a professional authentication expert, the age of a painting becomes apparent and self-evident as soon as he or she lays eyes on it, and even more so as soon as the painting is flipped over to reveal what its verso looks like. Often, stencils, stamps, marks, labels, handwriting and stickers will immediately provide additional age information to the experienced historian examining it.

This is all in addition to the main age indicators, namely what the painting represents as well as the style in which it was painted.

All in all, when the painting is placed in front of experienced eyes, there is a lot that is communicated to the expert regarding how old it is.

An authentication specialist's job can get more complicated if there are reasons to suspect that everything could have been made up, that every sign of age is a smoke screen, that it is all a deception to make you believe the painting is old, when in fact it is not.

In such cases, pigments can be chemically analyzed to determine their nature and when they were first manufactured. Organic materials can be carbon dated. Wood can be dated based on its growth rings.

In the end, dating a painting seldom stands in the way of its authentication. It is nearly always possible to come to terms with the question of when it was painted.

We are pleased to offer our clients all the dating methods and technologies that currently exist.