artidentifiering

Artidentifiering is the practice of identifying and attributing works of art to specific artists, genres, periods, or origins. It integrates documentary research, connoisseurship, technical analysis, and provenance studies to determine authorship, date, and context. The process aims to distinguish original works from copies, forgeries, misattributions, or workshop productions.

Key methods include archival and catalog research (artist archives, dealer records, exhibition histories), stylistic analysis comparing with authenticated works, and material and technical investigations (pigments, binders, wood and canvas dating, infrared and X-ray imaging, spectroscopy, and microscopy). Documentation such as signatures, workshop practices, and provenance chains is crucial. Digitization and databases, auction records, and published catalog raisonnés support the attribution process.

Professionals involved encompass art historians, conservators, provenance researchers, appraisers, and curators; museums, lenders, and auction houses frequently participate. The attribution can influence value, insurance, conservation planning, and scholarly understanding, but may remain disputed or revised as new evidence appears.

Challenges include incomplete or forged provenance, stylistic ambiguities, market pressure, and the non-binary nature of some attributions. In contemporary art, questions of editioning, collaboration, and conceptual authorship add complexity. Ethical standards emphasize transparency about uncertainty and the use of rigorous methods.

Digital tools and methods, including image recognition, database cross-referencing, and machine learning, are increasingly used to support traditional practice, though human expert judgment remains central. Artidentifiering thus sits at the intersection of art history, conservation science, and the art market, continually evolving with new evidence and techniques.