Signed in pencil, signed on the plate, what does it all mean? The way a print is signed and its impact on the value of art causes a lot of confusion. You will see unsigned prints, plate signed, signature stamped, property signed and signed with a blind stamp. There are no hard and fast rules on how an artist must sign their graphic art. It is more important to know what was the normal procedure for the time period and what was the normal practice for that particular artist.

Centuries ago, most artists never considered signing their art. Many pieces are unsigned, but that does not mean that the artist is unknown or that it was not made or approved by him or that it is worthless. Rembrandt, considered one of the greatest engravers, did not sign several of his engravings. Most of the modern masters, Picasso, Chagall, Miró, did not sign certain editions. This is when working with a knowledgeable dealer is important, as unscrupulous people have forged pencil signatures on authentic artwork to get a higher price.

Signed on the plate means that the artist has signed his name in the matrix (wood, metal, stone, etc.) so that it is printed within the art. This is the way an artist would sign their work until the 19th century and many of the earlier artists would not have done as much had it not been decreed by guild law. Generally speaking, because there are always exceptions in art, a work of art signed with a plate is more desirable than an unsigned piece, but less desirable than one signed in pencil. Since the artist from the 14th to the late 19th century did not sign his art in pencil, the lack of a pencil signature has no impact on the value.

Signed in pencil is usually the type of signature that collectors prefer.

It has become a tradition for the artist to sign his name in the lower margin below the image. They can also include the edition number, title, and date. We can thank James McNeil Whistler for helping us introduce and promote the handwritten signature in the late 19th century. The hand signed signature signifies the integrity of the print, which is original and distinctive from a reproduction. Whistler charged twice as much for his hand-signed pieces as he did for the other pieces in the same edition, although there was no difference in the quality of the art. Seymour Haden would sign his name on any of his earlier unsigned prints for a guinea. Picasso sold 15,000 signatures for the Vollard Suite.

Unfortunately, the hand signed signature no longer has the same meaning, as many artists sign and number their offset lithographic or reproductive giclée prints. Nor is it a new phenomenon, Kathe Kollwitz signed photolithographic reproductions of one of her aquatint series. Still, the implicit message has been kept and pieces that are hand signed are generally more valuable than those that are not. What makes this all very confusing is that it is possible to have a fake signature on an authentic work of art and an authentic signature on a reproductive work of art.

Sometimes, instead of hand-signing the art or signing the plate, an artist will use a stamp of their signature and apply it to the art, usually in the bottom margin where the hand-signed signature is normally found. Sometimes a stamped signature will be mistaken for a hand signed signature.

Heirs and patrimonies have been creating posthumous editions or reproductive editions that bear a special signature. They sign the art to give the impression that it would have been authorized by the artist had they not died. These signatures can be hand signed, stamped signatures, or blind stamps by heirs, museums, or any authorized organization. The value of these is usually much lower than lifetime prints. But of course, there are always exceptions!