Evaluating Your Collection Summary

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Evaluating Your Collection explores the fourteen essential skills that are necessary to assess objects within the world of antiques and collectibles. The book offers an insider’s look into Winterthur’s first director, Charles F. Montgomery’s approaches to examining and rating objects. The author and compiler, Dwight P. Lanmon, uses Montgomery’s system to articulate the importance of having a trained eye and of understanding the object’s place within its period of creation. The releasing of the book was 21 years after the Montgomery’s death, whose fourteen points of connoisseurship would transform the way that curators, collectors, and conservators identify whether an object is fake or genuine. Lanmon’s information is based on Montgomery’s 1961 …show more content…

His writing style is simple; he provides a well-organized book that has ample amount of examples that make it easy to comprehend the fourteen points presented. In addition, Lanmon’s book acknowledging the each point with in-depth analysis and includes various pictures to illustrate the importance of learning to see decorative art objects empirically. The fourteen points of connoisseurship are applicable to any collecting field and the criteria used is Overall Appearance, Form, Ornament, Materials, Finish, Color, Craft Techniques, Trade Practices, Function, Style, Attribution, History of Ownership, Condition, and Evaluation (15). Depending on the object being assessed, some of the criteria will be more relevant than others and have significant value in deciding the authenticity of the item. While the relative importance of evaluating the Form, Craft Techniques and History of Ownership of an object is essential for connoisseurs, thus helping to judge the cultural value to the …show more content…

Connoisseurs must seek out documentation or written evidence of past ownership in order to find the logical relationships of the object before it enters the market (85). A solid, well-proven history of ownership can increase the cultural value of an object because this can help confirm the authenticity through supporting data, primary or secondary (85). The history of ownership allows for connoisseurs to not only trace reliable records to prove the contextual evidence of the object’s origins, but also helps in finding the exact materials made to construct the object and reveals the trading practices that provide evidence for its former history with physical documentation. Furthermore, history of ownership is essential in giving valuable, first-hand evidence of the object’s authenticity. It’s hard not to appreciate Lanmon’s straightforward style, however, the book is for beginners and general readers who are curious about the art of collecting, therefore not for serious intermediate or experts whose knowledge of collecting is above basic skills. Nevertheless, the book is well structured and thoughtful in its execution. As antique & collectible books go, Evaluating Your Collection is impactful in its detailing

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