Atelier 08 · Numbers in the margin
Edition Guide
Explains and estimates the value of an edition relative to a unique work by the same artist: how the print process, the edition size, signature and numbering, the artist's stage, condition and provenance move the number, with a checklist for buying.
Share of a unique work
%
What moved the number
Before you pay
- Numbering and signature in pencil, not printed. Edition size stated on the invoice.
- The publisher or gallery named. Ask who printed it and where.
- Sheet unframed or archivally framed. Look at the margins under the mat.
- Compare the number with recent sales of the same print, not of the artist in general.
- Giclée reproductions of a painting are posters with a signature. Price accordingly.
01The 150 line
Hanging Height
Height of the work, the furniture under it, the hardware on the back. Out comes the hook height in centimetres and where the second hook goes.
02Paper first, on screen
Gallery Wall
Your wall, your furniture, your frames, drawn to scale. Drag them into a composition, snap the gaps, print the layout with hook heights.
03Sizes and glass
Frame and Mat
Sheet size in, everything else out: mat borders with the weighted bottom, outer frame size, glass area, weight and a cost band by glazing.
04Thirty degrees
Art Light
Ceiling height, centre of the work, what it is made of. Out comes the distance of the spot from the wall, the beam angle, the lux limit and how many years you have.