tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13375959.post5012519436826846278..comments2023-11-02T08:52:23.249-04:00Comments on MaggieART - Margaret McCarthy Hunt: Quilt provenance or what i learnedMargaret McCarthy Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16043152663750140749noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13375959.post-59367639631160445962011-09-06T23:07:45.972-04:002011-09-06T23:07:45.972-04:00As a certified quilt appraiser, I beg you: please...As a certified quilt appraiser, I beg you: please don't stop labeling! Anyone could sign- is true of most documentation. A quilt label gives researchers, appraisers, families, etc. a lot of precious information and a giant starting point. The label info still needs to be investigated, especially if it appears to be added later-- so quilting thru the label is good.Sandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03202287233052865076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13375959.post-38235036450151155622011-09-06T17:33:29.883-04:002011-09-06T17:33:29.883-04:00Excellent! So nice to have a definitive answer. ...Excellent! So nice to have a definitive answer. Sounds like you had so much fun ... I'm jealous! Thanks for sharing your experience with us.Linda Teddlie Mintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05051700373576759351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13375959.post-88801504292814606992011-09-06T16:24:09.226-04:002011-09-06T16:24:09.226-04:00People wonder why I get so excited when they bring...People wonder why I get so excited when they bring a quilt to be appraised or documented and they have a photo of the woman who made the quilt with needle in hand in the quilt in the frame...and the day I can't tell your quilt from a quilt made in China will be the day H**l freezes over! Jus' sayin....YankeeQuilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324287185970922332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13375959.post-91263847046791596492011-09-06T15:29:42.209-04:002011-09-06T15:29:42.209-04:00Actually, Maggie, he oversimplified it..probably f...Actually, Maggie, he oversimplified it..probably for common consumption. Provenance is the history of the piece....how it came to be where it is. Yes, the supporting documentation is the bill of sale, etc. In the case of 18th century furniture for example, as a curator we went backwards to see how the piece was passed from one person to another. The documentation, that is the wills, bills of sale, etc., proved the history and makes the piece without question.<br /><br />In the case of quilts, it is not quite as the person pointed out that it was similar to ones made in China...the signature would be compared to the artist's signature and yes, the original owner could make a notarized statement saying that the piece was purchased at thus and such a place....even a letter kept with the piece, with any other details would help, but it isn't as imperative as you'd think. Yes, having that documentation is useful and might increase the value, but for most items the amount it increases isn't as important. <br /><br />It is also incorrect to say that the labels on the back of the quilt don't increase the value. They do. Without a doubt. And yes, I do put the label on the quilt THEN quilt the quilt as in some cases, especially with reproduction quilts using reproduction fabrics, it is possible that a modern hand made piece would be "de-labeled" If the label is quilted into the piece, then there is no question. The quilt would bear the marks of removing the quilting and the label's disappearance. <br /><br />Of course, since the value of quilts overall have dropped so significantly over the last few years, I'm not sure how much this would really come into play. A masterpiece is a masterpiece...but the correct attribution which can be followed by checking signatures, just as in the case of a painted masterpiece, is the same process. For many of the art quilts we make, it's quite obvious.<br /><br />Not putting a label on or not signing the piece, whether in the quilting or even in the binding or some other hidden place is just nuts...I am proud of my work and want people to be able to trace it back to me, and I also want to make it quite apparent that the piece is mine if it were lost or stolen. Lisa Quintana (who up until 2005 was a professionally trained museum curator).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15140675211931598431noreply@blogger.com