Saturday, November 23, 2002

More Marks on Art Going back to the discussion on what appear on fine art prints, I find I hadn't mentioned the Printer's Mark. (Thanks to Tina Mammoser for the term.) These were marks that the printer would put on a print to identify the piece as having come from a particular printing shop. If the shop was well known, the mark would also indicate a piece of qualilty (or I suppose, conversely, add a note of quality to a piece.) The printer 's mark began as ink stamps applied to the print, but today an embossed relief is used. Another mark that might appear on a print would be one placed by the owner. These owner's marks are seen in some Japanese prints As the print gained new owners more stamps may be added. A censor seal may also been included on a print. For example, these are seen on some Japanese prints in the 1800's , when publically available prints had to be officially approved by the government. (Thanks, J. Noel Chiappa) Another aspect to many of these marks is that they are a safegaurd against forgeries. (Thanks toThe Chop or Printer's Mark: Its History and Use in Authenticating the Fine Art Print- by Todd Frye, for the general info on printer's marks.) 10:48:30 PM