Difficult cases come in many different shades. Most frequently, our clients lack Provenance: they do not have any information regarding artwork ownership prior to themselves, their parents or grandparents. Oftentimes these owners are doubtful that we could authenticate their piece of art. But we can certainly do so. If there is no Provenance, we bypass the question of who has owned an artwork. There is a multitude of other ways to demonstrate that an artwork is authentic.

Sometimes paintings that at first sight seem to be copies are in fact the authentic work of the artist who painted the same composition several times. In this case, instead of copies, these are twin or triplet originals. As such, they have much greater value than a student copy. Distinguishing high-grade or old copies from twin originals can be demanding.

Another touchy scenario involves paintings and engravings and the question of which came first. Was the engraving done based on the painting? Or was the painting created using the engraving as a model?

A rare but extremely interesting situation is that of the better copy. This happens when the copy deserves higher regard or greater approval than the original. Traditionally, everyone always assumes the original must be the better one, but sometimes it is not.

As the owners of works of art that need to be authenticated, our clients benefit from our decades of experience in handling a quantity of diverse very complex cases. We are prepared. We know how to investigate and make sense of the most complicated and challenging cases.

This applies in particular to paintings and other artworks that have previously been dismissed or rejected, in which case it now takes more effort to set the record straight and show they are authentic.

If your artwork falls into the category of difficult cases, don’t give up. Contact us to discuss the possible avenues that can be taken.