The new RKD Study Marks and Brands on Dutch and Flemish Paintings brings together existing knowledge and offers new insights into panel makers’ marks, coppersmiths’ marks and guild marks on paintings from the Northern and Southern Netherlands. Providing historical and technical context, it serves as a guide to the study of marks, complementing the Marks on Art database.
Art historical and technical research
Marks on paintings can provide important clues about the production, dating and provenance of a work of art. Because they are often located on the reverse or edges of a painting, however, they can easily go unnoticed. This RKD Study explains which craftspeople and institutions were responsible for these marks, how they were applied, and what information they can reveal about the material history of paintings.
A Guide to the Marks on Art database
Compiled by Jørgen Wadum (Associate Member of CODART since 2007), the RKD Study complements the Marks on Art database, which documents thousands of marks and brands. While the database helps researchers locate and compare individual marks, this RKD Study provides the historical, technical and methodological context needed to interpret the data.
The various chapters on marks found on wooden and copper supports are richly illustrated with examples from the database and demonstrate how such marks can contribute to research on artists, workshops and materiality. In addition, twelve different branding irons are identified, showing how they can be recognized and dated on the basis of their shape. The appendices provide an overview of known makers’ marks on panel and copper supports.