Catalogue raisonné

The typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive list of artworks by an artist, describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably identified by third parties.

There are many variations, both broader and narrower than "all the works" or "one artist". The parameters may be restricted to one type of art work by one artist or widened to all the works by a group of artists.

Grammatical and linguistic matters

The term catalogue raisonné is French, meaning "reasoned catalogue" (i.e., containing arguments for the information given, such as attributions.) but is part of the technical terminology of the English-speaking art world. The spelling is never Americanized to "catalog", even in the United States.

The French pluralization "catalogues raisonnés" is used.

Examples

An example of all the works of a group of artists is:

• A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters by John Smith; published by Smith & Son, London in 9 volumes 1829-1842

In rare cases "catalogue raisonné" is not even used to refer to art or an artist but is used to catalogue an institutional collection e.g.

• Braunstein, Susan L, Five Centuries of Hanukkah Lamps From the Jewish Museum: A Catalogue Raisonné, Publisher: The Jewish Museum (New York) under the auspices of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Yale University Press New Haven, New York; 2004

Most artists work in various media, e.g. oils, water colors, sculpture, etc. In some cases a catalogue raisonné is restricted to works in just one medium by the artist. For example:

• Spies, Werner. Picasso; The Sculptures - With Catalogue Raisonné; Publisher: Hatje Cantz 2000

For an example where the parameters are limited to prints, for different time periods, for one artist (Jim Dine) see:

• Jim Dine Prints: 1977-1985; A Catalogue Raisonné; Ellen G. D'Oench; Jean E. Feinberg; Publisher: Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1986

Rembrandt, an example of catalogues being modified

There are about 20 catalogues purporting to list Rembrandt’s complete etchings; each one building on the other, in some cases adding etchings, in others removing etchings and in others adding different states of the etchings. The important catalogues being:

• 1751; The first significant catalogue was by the Paris art auctioneer, Edme-François Gersaint.
• 1797; The Vienna curator, Adam Bartsch, brought out a new edition that became the classic reference (89 of the 375 Bartsch entries are no longer believed to be prints by Rembrandt).
• 1895 + 1922; Woldemar von Seidlitz, Die Radierungen Rembrandts: Mit Einem Kritischern Verzeichnis Und Abbildung Samtlicher Radierungen; publisher: Leipzig: E. A. Seemann Verlag, 1922, Leipzig - Seidlitz added 3 prints not in Bartsch but now believed to be by Rembrandt.
• 1912 + 1923; Hind, Arthur Mayger, A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings; chronologically arranged and completely illustrated, 2 vols, London, Methuen & Co Ltd.
• 1969; White, Christopher; Boon, Karel G, Rembrandt's Etchings: An Illustrated Critical Catalogue, 2 vols, Amsterdam, Van Gendt & Co, added more illustrations of the different states but continued to use the Bartsch numbering system where applicable.

Other language equivalents

• Spanish: Catalogo Razonado
• Italian: L'Opera completa
• German: Oeuvre-Katalog or Werkverzeichnis

Further reading

• Art Books: A Basic Bibliography of Monographs on Artists (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) by W. Freitag; Publisher: Routledge; Second Edition (April 1, 1997)
• Judging the Authenticity of Prints by The Masters: A Primer for Collectors by David Rudd Cycleback

External links

General links

• The Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association
• Collector's Corner: The Catalogue Raisonne: Identifying Fine-Art Prints

Databases for hard copy editions

• The International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)
• The Print Council of America on-line database of Catalogues Raisonné for prints

On-line projects

• Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné for some of their more well known artists, in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art
• Artistarchive.com, a public service site to create on-line catalogues
• Raisonne.org, A catalogue site sponsored by a commercial gallery, Childs Gallery
• Online Picasso-Project