How to Read a Certificate of Authenticity
Most people glance at a certificate of authenticity, decide it looks official, and put it in a drawer.
It is worth two minutes of attention, because a good one is a genuinely useful document and a weak one is a nice piece of paper.
What a real one contains
The title, exactly as the artist titles it. The year completed. Exact dimensions, and depth if the work is built rather than flat. The medium and materials, described specifically rather than vaguely.
A clear statement that this is an original and unique work, or if it is an edition, the number and the edition size. The artist's name and signature. And a way to reach the artist or studio.
For work with unusual materials, the origin of those materials should be there too.
What a weak one looks like
No dimensions. A vague medium like mixed media with no further detail. No year. No signature, or a printed signature.
And the biggest tell of all, no way to verify it. A certificate that does not tell you how to contact the studio is decorative. The document's whole value is that somebody stands behind it and can be reached.
The part people miss entirely
A certificate should reference something the studio also holds. That is what makes it verifiable rather than merely self-declaring.
In my studio, every piece has a provenance file behind the certificate. If a material was included, the certificate records what it was and, if the collector wants it named, where it came from. Statement commissions also come with a small sealed vial of the raw material, presented with the certificate, so the origin is something you can hold rather than something you have to believe.
That is the difference between a claim and a record. Anyone can print a claim.
Why it matters practically
Insurance. An insurer will want documentation, and a certificate with real dimensions, medium and year is exactly what they ask for.
Resale or transfer. Undocumented work is difficult to place at any price, and documentation is a meaningful part of what a serious buyer is paying for.
And inheritance, which is the one nobody plans for. The certificate is often the only thing that tells the next generation what they are looking at.
What to do with yours
Photograph it and keep the photograph somewhere that is not in the house, alongside a photograph of the piece hanging.
Keep the paper with your other important documents rather than taped to the back of the work, where it gets damaged and eventually lost.
And if you have inherited or acquired something and cannot find its certificate, contact the artist or studio if they still exist. Many of us keep permanent records and can reissue.
I certainly do. If you own a piece of mine and need documentation reissued, write to me and I will send it. I keep those records permanently, and that is part of what you bought.
Warmly,
Dani
