Artwork is described rather than graded, and the description has a predictable shape that makes it hard to argue with.
The order
- What it is — original, limited edition print, open edition, reproduction
- Medium and support — what it is made of and what it is on
- Measurements — image size and overall size, in centimetres
- Surface condition — the front
- Back condition — labels, stamps, repairs, relining, replaced stretchers
- Restoration — what has been done and, if you know, by whom
- Frame — present, original, replacement, condition, glass or acrylic
Surface words that mean something
Craquelure — the fine cracking that comes with age in paint. Usually not damage. Flaking or lifting — paint coming away. Damage, and it needs showing. Foxing — brown speckling on paper, damp and age. Toning or yellowing — paper darkening with age and light. Tears, creases, pinholes, losses — located and measured. Surface dirt — say whether it has been cleaned and how.
Restoration must be declared
Retouching, relining, patched tears, replaced stretchers, a cleaned surface. A restored work described as restored sells perfectly well. A restored work described as original does not stay sold.
Attribution is not condition
Who made it belongs in its own sentence, with how you know. Do not let an attribution ride along inside a condition claim — that is the blend that turns into a dispute. Provenance, and why it matters.
Questions people ask
Is craquelure a defect?
Usually not — it is age in paint. Lifting and flaking are different and are defects.
Do I describe the frame separately?
Yes, always. It is a different object with its own condition.
What if a work has been cleaned by somebody else?
Say so, say what you know, and say that you did not do it.
More: condition words across every category, describing antiques.