One of the most intriguing and confusing categories in propertyinsurance is in appraising fine art. With the highest price paidfor a work of art now at $250 million, a forgery is comparativelyworthless; the potential cost of making an error is enormous.

The official definition of fine art is “a visual art createdprimarily for aesthetic purposes and viewed positively for itsbeauty and meaningfulness.” Objects considered fine art includepaintings, sculptures, drawings, watercolors, graphics, andarchitecture. Fine art should not be confused with mass produceddecorative items, IKEA art, children's drawings, framed posters andthe like.

Related: Is it real? How to ascertain the authenticity ofart

It’s common to see a lot of fine art items with incorrect artistattributions and incorrect mediums, which means an incorrectclaimed value. Different art mediums such as oil paintings andprints require different authentication methods.

(Image: IgorGolovniov/Shutterstock)

Authenticating oil paintings

While only one individual or institution can own an originalpainting, thousands of people can own a copy. Original art has beencopied for centuries with reproductions providing less expensiveversions for popular distribution. As a result, the world is awashin copies. Advanced copying techniques and skilled forgers can makeit a challenge to distinguish a reproduction from an originalpiece.

There are several things to look for to determine if an oil oncanvas is genuine—among them signatures, artistic styles andabilities, hand-painted versus machine-made, canvases andprovenance.

Related: Valuing art with no signature: The claim case ofMaxfield Parrish

Of these, identifying the signature can be the quickest methodfor authentication. The question is—does the signature on thesubject painting match signatures on known documents by the sameartist? Fortunately, there are reference books and periodicals thatcontain known artist signatures for this purpose.

Another method for determining authenticity is to check theartistic style and ability. Did the artist execute the subjectpainting in the same style and manner as known documentedpaintings? Sometimes in a forgery there will be lines that arenormally detailed but instead rendered in a blurry style, or thepainting may use lighting techniques not normally associated withthe period or artist. These are good giveaways to identifying apotential fraud.

Another tool for identifying forgeries is examining theconstruction of the canvas itself. An original painting may featureirregular and uneven paint on the edge of the canvas, while a printcopy may have clean and even edges that can be hidden within aframe.

St. Christopher Cross the River' by Jan Wellen de Cock(Image: Thinkstock/Photos.com)

With original oil paintings, viewers can see and feel thetexture of the paint and notice the colors may overlap one another.An original painting examined under a strong light might also showthe pencil lines from the artist’s original sketch or changes theymade while painting.

Sometimes forgers will use high quality inkjet printers to makegiclée copies and then add hand-touchedembellishments afterward to make them look like a real painting. Onclose examination, appraisers can see these copies use a dot matrixpattern similar to the ones found in magazine images. It may benecessary to use a black light to see this level of detail.

Related: Pricing the priceless - Valuing irreplaceable worksof art

The back of a canvas is also a great place to look forestablishing authenticity. An original painting will showvariations of light through the back because artists use a varyingdegree of impasto, or heaviness of paint in certain areas. The backof a giclée print will most likely be stark white because there areno variations in the paint technique and the paint layers.

The final important method used is the painting’s provenance—thedocumentation that commonly accompanies any piece of artworkconfirming its authenticity. Good provenance typically leaves nodoubt that a work of art is genuine. It can include a gallerylabel, a signed certificate of authenticity, an artist statement orrecording of the artist discussing the piece, receipts, an expertappraisal, and a history of ownership including names of previousowners.

When working with provenance, it is important to establish thedocuments themselves are not forgeries. A reputable company willalways call galleries to verify that the receipt in hand isauthentic since these can be easily forged and recreated.

Certificates of authenticity should include an artist or dealersignature with a date and a thorough description of the artwork,though unscrupulous dealers have provided false COAs in the past.Also, great forms of provenance are a catalogue of an artistexhibition at a gallery or museum that displayed the artwork inquestion, exhibition history in general, and a reference in theartist’s catalog raisonne. Good provenance almost always increasesthe value and desirability of a work of art because itauthenticates it with certitude.

(Image: 360b/Shutterstock)

Authenticating prints

Original prints differ from oil paintings in that they areproduced on a mass scale. They are works of art created by theartist or his professional assistant from a hand-made plate, block,stone or stencil for the sole purpose of creating a limited numberof images.

Because they are a different medium entirely, distinguishingauthentic prints from reproduction prints requires a different setof authentication methods than oil paintings. With prints anappraiser looks to edition numbers, signatures and plate marks tomake the determination.

Related: The art of authenticatingmasterpieces

When an artist makes a print, it is usually produced as part ofa limited number of impressions. Each print produced from the plateis technically a unique work of art even though it is produced as asigned and numbered multiple. The term for the group of prints froma single plate is called the “edition.”

This number of prints is limited to the amount that can besafely pulled from the plates before the plates begin to wear outand break down. An artist typically has control over the number ofprints that can be produced from one stone and once the editionnumber is met, say 50 or 100, the stone is usually destroyed toenhance the value of the prints.

Original prints are numbered at the bottom with fractionnumbers. The bottom half of the fraction indicates the total numberof prints made. The top half of the fraction indicates which numberthis print occupied in sequence in the total run. So, for example,6/100 would indicate the sixth print made in a 100-printedition.

(Image: balticboy/Thinkstock)

When examining an original print, look to the bottom of the workto find this fraction. These edition numbers can sometimes behidden under the frame, so it may be necessary to remove the frameif the numbers are not visible.

Edition numbers are not an indication of absolute authenticity,but are an important first step. After obtaining the editionnumber, appraisers (and adjusters) should look to catalogs toconfirm the numbers given indeed match the known number. Forexample, if a known edition has 200 prints within it, it shouldring alarm bells if the edition number on the print states it as anumber different than 200.

Prints usually have the artist’s signature on them—either doneby hand after the print is done, in the lithographic plate itself,or in some case, both. If the print in question has both, it's agood sign the print is authentic. If the print only has the platesignature, it's most likely a reproduction print.

Other important things to look for when working with prints arethe plate impressions and marks. Authentic prints will have adiscernable plate mark where the stone pressed against the paperand this indentation should be visible around the image. Sometimesthese plate marks are concealed by a frame so it may be necessaryto remove the frame for proper examination.

One company recently appraised a piece believed to be a print byPicasso valued at $12,000. Using these authentication methods itwas determined the piece was actually a photographic print worth nomore than $100. It just goes to show that when evaluating fine art,confirming authenticity is the master piece of the work.

Related: 6 tips for preserving fine art &furniture

Having started her career at the Cleveland Museum of Art,Erin Hollenbank, ASA, is an accredited appraiser specializing inEuropean and American Fine Art for Enservio, a leading providerof contents claim software, payments solutions,inventory and valuation services for property insurers.