Collector glossary
The language attached to the object.
Concise definitions, why each term appears in a transaction, and the misunderstanding worth avoiding.
115 terms
A
Accession numberA unique identifier assigned when an institution formally adds an object to its collection.Acid-freeA description indicating that a paper product is manufactured at or near a neutral or alkaline pH.Acrylic glazingA clear plastic glazing material used in framing, available in standard, UV-filtering, anti-static, and abrasion-resistant forms.AppraisalA professional opinion of value prepared for a stated purpose, effective date, market, and intended use.Approval periodA defined time in which a buyer may inspect a work and return it under agreed conditions.ArchivalA broad term suggesting materials or methods intended for long-term stability.Art advisorA professional engaged by a collector to research, source, negotiate, or manage art purchases.Art fairA temporary event where multiple galleries or exhibitors present works for sale.Art handlerA trained professional who packs, moves, installs, stores, or transports artworks.Artist proofAn impression traditionally reserved for the artist outside the numbered edition, often marked A/P or E.A.Asking priceThe amount a seller requests before any discount, tax, shipping, framing, or other transaction cost.AttributionA considered statement assigning a work to an artist, workshop, school, period, or culture, often with a stated degree of certainty.AuthenticityWhether an artwork is what it is represented to be in authorship, origin, date, medium, or other material identity.
B
Backing boardA rigid board fitted behind a framed work, or attached to the reverse of a canvas support, to reduce risks from impact, dust, vibration, and rapid environmental change.Bill of saleA document recording transfer of an identified artwork from seller to buyer under stated terms.Bought inAn auction term indicating that a lot did not sell, often because bidding did not reach the reserve.Buyer’s premiumA fee paid by the auction buyer in addition to the hammer price.
C
Carrier liabilityA carrier's contractual or legal responsibility for loss or damage under governing terms.Catalogue raisonnéA scholarly catalogue intended to document all known works, or a defined body of works, by an artist.Certificate of authenticityA document asserting information about an artwork's authorship and identity.Certificate of insuranceA document summarizing certain insurance coverage information at a point in time.Chain of titleThe sequence of legally relevant ownership transfers for an object.CommissionEither a fee charged for arranging a sale or an artwork made to a buyer's brief; context determines the meaning.Commissioned workAn artwork created under an agreement between a buyer and artist or studio.ComparableA different artwork or transaction used to provide context because it shares relevant characteristics.ConditionThe physical state of an artwork at a particular time.Condition reportA dated written description of an artwork's observable condition, materials, alterations, and areas of concern.Conflict of interestA circumstance in which a person's financial or other interests may affect—or appear to affect—their advice or decisions.Conservation framingA framing approach that uses stable materials and methods intended to protect the artwork and permit future removal without unnecessary damage.Conservation glazingGlass or acrylic chosen to reduce risks such as ultraviolet exposure while supporting safe display.ConservatorA professional trained to examine, preserve, and treat cultural property using material-specific knowledge and ethical standards.ConsignmentAn arrangement in which an owner authorizes another party to offer an artwork for sale while ownership usually remains with the consignor until sale.ConsignorThe owner or authorized party who places property with another seller for consignment.CopyrightA set of legal rights in original creative expression, generally distinct from ownership of the physical artwork.
D
DeaccessionThe formal removal of an object from an institutional collection under the institution's policy.DealerA person or business that sells artworks, either as owner or as agent for another owner.Declared valueA value stated to a carrier for purposes defined by the carrier's terms, often affecting liability limits and charges.DepositA partial payment made to reserve a work, begin a commission, or confirm a purchase.DiptychAn artwork composed of two panels or parts intended to be displayed together.Dry mountingA mounting method that uses heat and pressure to activate adhesive and bond an artwork or image broadly to a board.Dust coverA sheet sealed across the back of a frame to reduce the entry of dust and debris and to finish the frame package.
E
EditionA defined group of artworks produced from the same matrix, negative, digital file, mold, or authorized process.Edition numberA fraction-like marking identifying an impression's number and the stated edition size, such as 7/30.Environmental monitoringRepeated measurement of conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, light, or pollutants around an artwork.EstimateAn auction house's opinion of a likely sale range, usually stated as low and high figures.
F
FadingA loss or shift of color caused by light exposure or other material changes.Fair market valueA valuation concept based on a hypothetical transaction between informed, willing parties under specified conditions.Final saleA sale for which the seller states that returns or cancellations are not accepted, subject to the governing terms and law.Float frameA frame designed to leave a visible gap around the edge of a canvas or panel so the artwork appears to float within it.Float mountA mounting presentation that leaves the edges of a work visible, often appearing to float above the backing.FoxingScattered brown or reddish spots seen on some paper materials, associated with complex deterioration processes.Frame linerA fabric-covered or finished inner border fitted between an artwork and the outer frame moulding, often around paintings displayed without glazing.Frame moulding (molding)The shaped length of material, commonly wood or metal, that is cut and joined to form the visible perimeter of a frame.
G
GalleryA business or organization that presents art; in a sales context, it may represent artists, sell inventory, or broker works.Gallery labelA label attached to an artwork, frame, or backing that records gallery, exhibition, inventory, or transaction information.GicléeA marketing term commonly used for high-quality inkjet printing.GlazingThe transparent protective layer placed in front of an artwork in a frame, usually glass or acrylic.
H
I
Independent artistAn artist selling or managing their work without exclusive gallery representation in the relevant transaction.InstallationThe process of safely placing, hanging, securing, or assembling an artwork in its display location.Inventory numberAn internal identifier used by an artist, gallery, collector, dealer, or institution to track an object.InvoiceA seller's itemized request for payment and record of transaction terms.
L
LightfastnessA material's resistance to change when exposed to light.Limited editionAn edition with a stated maximum number of numbered impressions or objects.LotAn individual object or group of objects offered as one unit in an auction.LuxA unit measuring illuminance: the amount of visible light falling on a surface.
M
Matting (mat)A presentation and protective system, usually using a window mat and back mat of board, that supports a work on paper, separates it from glazing, and creates visual space.MediumThe materials and processes used to make an artwork.Mixed mediaA work made with more than one material or process.MoldFungal growth that can affect paper, canvas, wood, adhesives, and other materials under favorable moisture conditions.MonotypeA printmaking process designed to produce one principal unique impression, sometimes with weaker secondary impressions.Museum glassA trade term often used for highly anti-reflective glazing with substantial UV filtering.
O
Object recordA structured record tying an artwork's identity, images, documents, location, condition, and transactions to one entry.Open editionAn edition produced without a fixed numerical limit, sometimes while demand or a production period continues.OriginalA work created as the artist's intended artwork rather than a later reproduction of another work.Overall dimensionsThe total exterior measurements of an artwork or installation, which may include frame, base, or spacing if specified.
P
Payment planAn agreement to pay the purchase price in installments.Primary marketThe first sale of an artwork, usually by the artist or a gallery representing the artist.PrintAn artwork made by transferring an image from a matrix or through a controlled printing process.Printer’s proofAn impression reserved for or used by the printer, often marked P/P.Private saleA negotiated sale outside a public auction, often handled by a dealer, advisor, auction house, collector, or artist.Private treatyAnother term for a privately negotiated sale rather than a public auction.ProvenanceThe documented history of an artwork's ownership, custody, or transfer.Provenance recordThe organized documents and references supporting an artwork's ownership history.
R
RabbetThe recessed ledge or channel inside the back of a frame that holds the artwork and the rest of the frame package.RectoThe front or primary face of a sheet or artwork.Relative humidityThe amount of moisture in air relative to what that air could hold at the same temperature, expressed as a percentage.Replacement valueAn estimate of the cost to replace property with a comparable item in a relevant market, often used for insurance.Represented artistAn artist with an ongoing commercial relationship with a gallery or dealer for some markets, works, or territories.ReproductionA copy of an existing artwork made to reproduce its image rather than functioning as the original work itself.ReserveA confidential minimum price below which an auction lot will not be sold.Retail priceThe price at which a seller publicly or privately offers a work to a collector.Return policyThe seller's written terms for accepting, rejecting, or conditioning returns.Reversible mountingA mounting approach intended to be removable without unacceptable change or damage to the artwork.
S
Scheduled propertyAn item individually listed on an insurance policy with identifying information and an agreed coverage basis.Secondary marketA resale after an artwork has already entered private or institutional ownership.Seller’s commissionA fee deducted from or charged to the seller for arranging a sale.Shadow boxA deep frame or glazed enclosure that creates space around a dimensional, relief, textile, or object-based artwork.Sight sizeThe dimensions of the artwork visible through a frame or mat opening, which may be smaller than the full object.SignatureA name, mark, inscription, or other sign associated with the artist.SpacerA narrow strip or structural element used to maintain separation between an artwork and glazing, commonly around the inside perimeter of a frame.StrainerA rigid, fixed-corner wooden auxiliary support over which a canvas is stretched, unlike a keyed and adjustable stretcher.Stretcher barsJoined wooden members forming an adjustable auxiliary support over which canvas is stretched; keyed corners may permit controlled tension adjustment.SupportThe underlying material that carries an image or structure, such as paper, canvas, panel, metal, or fabric.
T
Transit insuranceCoverage intended to respond to specified loss or damage while an artwork is being transported.Treatment reportA conservator's record of examination, analysis, materials, and work performed on an object.TriptychAn artwork composed of three panels or parts intended to be displayed together.
U
V
W
White-glove deliveryA service level that may include appointment delivery, indoor placement, unpacking, debris removal, or installation.Wire transferAn electronic bank-to-bank transfer that may be difficult to reverse once sent.Work on paperAn artwork whose primary support is paper, such as a drawing, watercolor, print, collage, or photograph.