Provenance

Provenance describes the historical chain of ownership of a work of art from its creation to its current owner. It is the gold standard of authentication.

One important step in tracing the provenance of a bronze sculpture can be to identify the foundry where the work was cast. For example, on Frederick Remington sculptures produced as long ago as the late 1800’s can be found the words “Roman Bronze Works” imprinted in their cast bases. This identifies the New York foundry where most of Remington’s bronzes were made.

(The chances, however, of coming across an authentic original Remington bronze sculpture can be classified in one of three categories: Slim, Fat, and None. Remington originals are housed in museums and valued in the millions of dollars.)

The point is that most foundries specializing in fine art casting imprint their name or foundry stamp or logo in the casting. This can simplify tracing the sculpture’s provenance as it identifies the locus of origin. (See photo of Desert Crucible foundry mark.)

Unfortunately, many dubious techniques are employed to lead the buyer to believe a sculpture for sale is something other than what it actually is. There are credible looking outright forgeries, there are unauthorized reproductions of artists’ copyrighted work, there are sculptures marketed as “cold cast bronze” or “bonded bronze” which are a resin or epoxy substrate with a bronze powder veneer, there are elaborate and official looking “Certificate of Authenticity” approaches and “Strictly Numbered Edition Certificate” offerings, and on and on.  

The best way for a serious buyer or collector to verify the authenticity of a bronze sculpture is to consult a professional who is trained in this procedure.