In original limited edition art prints, what does it mean when a work is singed with a facsimile signature?
October 25th, 2008
hentiejord asked:
I’m hoping to buy a limited edition print by Marc Chagall on e-bay, and the seller says that the work contains a facsimile signature. What does that mean?
I’m hoping to buy a limited edition print by Marc Chagall on e-bay, and the seller says that the work contains a facsimile signature. What does that mean?
When a print is signed with a facsimile signature, it means the print was made and signed by someone other than the artist - usually the artist’s estate or a printing company that owns the copyright to said artist’s work. Generally, these are produced after the artist’s death. The “signature” is the artist’s name, written in pencil beneath the image, by someone with nice handwriting. That’s all.
The term Limited Edition can be a bit of a scam under these conditions… “Limited” only refers to one particular size, paper type and press run. 20,000 prints of the same image - merely one inch bigger - can be subsequently made, which would devalue a previous edition.
Check the number of the print and edition - the lower each of these numbers are, the better resale value they will have. But this is no guarantee as to the quality of the print. I’ve seen some great paintings made into terrible prints with simply awful colour representation… and yet they are sold at museums and galleries for big $.
My final advice is this - you will not be buying anything Chagall ever touched. This will not be an investment… but if you like the piece and the price is right, get it for yourself and enjoy it.