Expert: Ben Mahmoud - 2/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: I acquired two etchings from the Vollard Suite while visiting Spain (Malaga area) a few years ago.  The two prints are numbered 266/300.  I paid only $500 - $800 each for the framed pieces (one nicely framed, the other not) which I was told were signed in the plate.   I am curious about the numbers, because I have read the pieces have only 250 in the limited edition.  Why do my prints show edition of 300?  Was I ripped off with a copy of an etching, or can you tell?
Thanks very much.

ANSWER: Hmm, there have been several questions of late about the Vollard Suite.

If the prints that you purchased came from a reputable art dealer you can trust that the original plates were made by Picasso.  However, they were probably printed after his death.  The numbers, as you probably already know, tell the number of the print in the edition (of 300 in this case).  As an aside, the number of the print in the edition has no bearing on the value of the work.

As for quality: you can be assured that when Picasso was alive, he did not print the works himself.  A master printer was used under Picasso's guidance.  The plates are far to valuable to be in the hands of anyone but a master printer.  So, your prints are probably of the same quality as the original prints. I could give you a bit more information if I knew the medium.  Etchings? Lithographs? Intalgio?

The signature in the plate (and this suggests that they are etchings) does not carry the same import as the original signature of Picasso.  Many of the Vollard Suite are signed in red below the image by Picasso.  Picasso, as well as many other artists, signed their work in the plate or litho stone.  Should Picasso have not signed the work in the plate, it would have no bearing on the value of the piece.  Which is to say that his signature in the plate, also, has no bearing on the value of the work.

In the case of etching plates, it is possible to print thousands of them.  However, at some point, the copper plate would begin to break down.  Before that happens, the owners of the plates might have had them steel faced (much like chrome is added to a steel bumper).  That degrades the print.  This has been done with Rembrandts, Goyas, and many other artists that left plates in their estate.

The one thing that would have a bearing on your works is if you can find that these prints were a second edition or third edition, and printed under the auspices of Picasso's estate.  But that information would be hard to come by unless the art dealer has the papers to establish that fact.  If you bought these prints from a reputable dealer, I suspect you can trust the edition number, and, in that case, you were not ripped off.  The price seems reasonable.  

There used to be a gallery in Baltimore (I think) that would buy the plates or stones from an artist's estate.  They would print unlimited editions of those works, and the price they charged reflected their status.  But, I would expect that Picasso's estate has such a very defensive attitude toward the works left by Picasso.  They would not sell those plates.

It is possible, of course, that the prints could be simply fakes. An expert viewing the work would be able to determine that.  Or, a simple comparison of your prints with the same prints held by a museum would reveal any differences.  I do have to mention to you that the world is full of fake prints by Picasso, Miro, Chagall, Dali, and the like.  In fact, Dali was almost arrested by the Spanish police for signing blank sheets of print paper for a price.  Then students would do a print like a Dali, and print it above his signature.  But there is nothing like that in Picasso's history.  He didn't care much about money.

If you ever have the works out of the frame, I would hold the print up to the light and look for watermarks in the paper.  The original prints were done on "Arches" paper, with the watermark, "Arches."  But I have no way of know what paper was used in subsequent printings. However, if you see the watermark, "Arches," that would be a reassurance.

Assuming that you obtained the prints from a reputable dealer, my recommendation to you is to enjoy the works, knowing that they, in fact, came from Picasso's hand.  No serious art dealer would risk their reputation for passing off fakes.

I hope that I have been of some help to you, and if you have addtional questions, please let me know.

Ben Mahmoud



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your extensive response.  I can add that the paper appears to be a quality parchment of some kind, and just to the left of the signature is a small embossed "logo or stamp" that is made up of finely grouped/scrunched lettering that looks like "plitt" or it could be "murr".  The embossment is only about 3/8 inch square, but appears to add some authenticity to the works.  I hope this description could allow you to better evaluate.
I like both works very much so it is more a curiousity than anything...I certainly can't/won't bring them back!

Answer
My guess is that the embossing is the "chop" mark of the print house that printed the works.  The fact that this exists may be an indication of authenticity.  

For what it's worth:  do not allow cardboard to come into contact with the print in the framing process.  Cardboard is very acid, and can, in time, ruin the print.

Ben Mahmoud