Remington Bronzes:
The Description of the Work - Part 2
by
John Daab Ph.D., for Fine Art Registry®
Read the previous articles in the series: Remington Bronzes
Introduction to Identifying a work of Art
The importance of identifying and describing a work of art is to ensure that the work is authentic. Outside it may look pretty and aesthetically pleasing, but after the lipstick is removed you have a fake. Identification also serves as a process to historically delineate the where, who, and what, of the work, and how it came about. More importantly, it is the manifest fingerprint to be used as other similar works emerge to be considered as authentic. The process of identification also brings into play the many connections to the work offering greater detail of its authenticity. By providing details one is able to juxtapose the questionable work with the real to ascertain how close the questionable resembles the real. The process of Identifying is a movement of scholarship towards the truth of an object. The movement of scholarly analysis is a consensual process whereby many individuals provide their skills to form a conclusion in the midst of other skilled people who will critique the reliability and validity of the conclusion. In point, it is a process of critical analysis undertaken by scholars using standards to form a comprehensive declaration of a specific piece of art.
The Getty ID:(1) Identifying and Describing the Work
The Getty Institute throughout the last few decades has developed a hit list of necessary factors when identifying a work of art. The overall list is about 20+ items. Its short list (core) constitutes those factors necessary to provide a somewhat summary identification understandable to both the professional and art consumer. The longer list is encompassing in that it outlines all potential information which could but not necessarily be available about a given work. This list of factors is the list used by auction houses, museums, galleries, authenticators, and appraisers in one form or another.
The importance of the identification process is that in the case of sculptures, specifically Remington Bronze works, their editions, and those reproductions following the authentic pieces is that the factors provide telltales, tying the authentic to an edition and provide information as to whether an alleged work is a fake. If such factors were absent it would be an issue to argue that the alleged real - but fake - work should be considered authentic. For example, the measurements, date of creation, and materials must match the sample being examined to confirm that the piece meets the criteria. If the materials are different sizes and incorrect, and date of creation beyond the oeuvre of the authentic piece, it can be asserted that the sample is not authentic.
The Intent of the Factors
The thrust of the factors of identification is delineation of a piece so that its separateness is unambiguous. A Getty ID process has as its end point an identification resembling a fingerprint identification. The ID of one work compared to a similar work should provide information entailing that, although they are similar in appearance, various factors demonstrate that they are different. Thomas Hoving was particularly adept at this in his weekly coffee meetings with staff.(2) He would point to the ears or hands of the subject in the work and discuss how such hands were Michelangelo hands and not Da Vinci's. Please note that some of the factors are a function of a given repository's inclination. A repository may classify a work under subject matter, B may classify it under period, and C may classify it under type of art falling under fine, decorative, or collectible. Please note that the factors below represent the core plus some. Some factors, for example copyright restrictions, conservation history, metadata standards and so on seem to be more relevant to the operation of the institute rather than the work itself. The items chosen below seem to represent those most used in the field of art or not pertinent to forensic applications in authenticity determinations of Remington Bronzes. The goal here is not to conserve a work but to use standards and apply them to the process of establishing the real from the bogus.
Getty Factors
Object Type of work- painting, sculpture, print, water color
Classification- period, type, subject matter
Title- the name of a work or untitled
Measurements- The work is measured in length, width, and height if 3 dimensional; and length and width if 2 dimensional
Materials used- paint, bronze, lead, ink, pastel, etc. The substructure of the work's materials are identified also-Painted on panel, canvas, paper
Technique- How was the work made? Was the bronze sculpture made via a sand cast or lost wax
Creator Description- nationality of artist when he or she was born and died
Creator Identity- Name of the artist
Styles and Period- Ashcan, Surrealism; Medieval or Classical
Creation Date- The date on the painting
Subject Matter- Landscape/Portrait/Genre
Current Location Repository Name/Geographic Location- The name the entity owning the work and where it is located
Inscriptions/Marks- Are there any written notes on the work; are there any marks indicating the work is tied to a given entity
State- refers to the stages of a work. Is it a first edition, first made, artist's proof
Facture- The facts about how the work was made
Orientation arrangement- How the work was meant to be seen or how it is displayed
Person /corporate body authority- The individuals involved in the production of the work
Physical description or Narrative- This is an objective statement of how the piece is perceived
Related textual references- References in written form dealing with the work
Exhibition history- What museums, galleries have shown the work
Catalogues Raisonne– Scholarly works identifying the piece
Ownership history- Documents supporting ownership of the work
Case Study of Coming through the Rye Following the Getty ID Methodology
The approach below follows the Getty method by incorporating single factors under one heading.
Artist/Nationality/Dates: Frederic Sackridge Remington, American, (1861-1909).
Title: Coming through the Rye.
Period: American Native Realism/American West post Civil War.
Subject Matter: People and animals of the American West.
Year of creation: 1902 model was created and actual piece made in 1903.
Medium: Bronze Sculpture set in base. Base seems to be same material as work. The color is black not brown. The work is now well lit. Note that it is important that investigated work is well lit since weak lighting may present different colors. (A previous visit examined the work under faulty light due to changes in museum layout).Henri Bonnard Foundry made the bronzes after 1900.
Size: 28 x28x 28 inches measured from the bottom of the base.
Current owner and location of work: The image provided was a free image. The work examined is owned by Princeton University Art Museum located in Princeton, New Jersey. The work was a gift of Lawrence Rockefeller in 1995.
Signed: On foreground right side of base-Frederic Remington is inscribed on the bronze base.
Verso: No marks or inscriptions noted on the back of the piece.
Framed: Currently on stand contained within a plastic acrylic box.
Condition: No apparent defects.
Provenance: Gift from Laurence Rockefeller class of 1932. It was given to Princeton in 1995?
Edition: This work is #2 and made using the lost wax process. There are 17 of this work.
Bibliography/Text References:(3) There are 319 references to Remington.
Exhibition History: Ask/Art has 88 museums listing possession of Remington works.(4)
The Issue of the Narrative or Physical Description
A recent development in addition to the format of identification is the production of a narrative built upon the perception of the examiner, curator, or appraiser of the work. It is through the narrative; the observer relies on his perception to outline what he or she sees in the work. This requires the person to witness the work in situ and mark his/her perception in document form. The Getty requires that the observation be objective. Statements that the work is pretty or ugly are unacceptable. Other statements such as "the work sings to me" or "I have a feeling in my stomach" that the work is great are also far off the mark. What then would be acceptable?
Describing through perception
Herman requires that the observer in a description of an event, or entity provide the details so that the reader is able to understand each part without sensing that the description is not clear or ambiguous.(5) The viewer must be able to "touch" (my words) each part of the description details. I use touch as a motif to establish that it is a requirement in a description. If we stated that the cowboys are coming into town to let off steam or get hammered at the saloon we would be inferring that possibility rather than describing it or touching it. There is nothing in the Rye image that demonstrates where the cowboys are going, what their intentions are, or where they came from. From what we know about cowboys it sure looks like they are letting off some steam but no concrete detail allows us to make the assertion. Such an assertion is an inference not a concrete perception. All we observe are cowboys on horses.
Such inferences may be historical, sociological or psychological but the eye does not perceive them because they are derived conceptually not perceptually. This is important to understand because such inferences will only confuse the viewer when he/she is comparing the questioned or new piece with the exemplar or authentic work.
Coming Through the Rye Narrative
Coming Through the Rye is a sculpture which is non-life size. Its color is black. It has a base upon which six hoofs of four horses are attached. The base is also black and made of the same material. The Horses are saddled with four riders dressed in cowboy attire consisting of boots, leather pants protectors, holsters, lariats, hats and guns. The guns are held in the right hands of each cowboy. Three of the cowboys facing the observer and moving from right to left have the guns raised upright above their heads. The fourth cowboy to the extreme left appears to be leaning to the left with his gun at a ten o'clock position. The work is detailed to the extent that there are wrinkles in the hats and other garb and hair on the faces of the cowboys. With the hoofs of the horses in the air the work is non-stationary but dynamic.
Some Points to Ponder
- The description of any object of art should follow formulaic standards developed by the Getty Institute.
- Descriptions should be objective and not based on inference.
- Information provided should be based on references.
- Out of the ordinary conditions should be noted.
- The narrative should form a visual image for the individual reading it.
- Any image to be identified should have a photo attached.
1. http://www.getty.edu/research/publications/electronic_publications/cdwa/
2. Hoving, T.(2006). Masterpieces. New York:Norton
3. http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/search/Search_Grid.aspx?searchtype=BOOKS&artist=5814
4. http://www.askart.com/askart/r/frederic_sackrider_remington/frederic_sackrider_remington.aspx
5. Herman, A. (2010). Lecture at Princeton University Art Museum.
— by John Daab Ph.D.
| December 31, 2010
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