Erin,

As an conservator I appreciate that you are asking about this!

Almost all sculptures that I have have encountered, even by contemporary
artists, usually have the year and then the number in the series imprinted
or cast into the base. I believe I once worked on a piece by Lichetnstein
had a copper alloy plate attached. Such a notation looks like this:  1971/23

I think that there are advantages to the series approach that collectors and
galleries like, but I also appreciate your idea about having a year of
creation too.

But note how the two notations might be confused - so that may require your
including the full year to make the reference clear.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator
Los Angeles, CA



On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 5:17 PM, Erin Collings <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm an artist who uses molds and casts, and the works often wind up in
> museums, and I frequently find myself debating with their archivists on how
> to date the works.
>
> I wonder if anyone knows the correct way to date a cast that was taken from
> a mold, if there is a difference in the years?
>
> I was once taught that the way to note the date of a photographic print
> which was printed in a year that followed the creation of the negative, one
> uses a dash, negative date/print date:
>
> i.e.:  1955/63 would mean the negative was created in 1955, the print in
> 1963.
>
> I would assume that the same logic would apply to a cast that was taken
> from a mold, mold/cast:
>
> i.e.: 1978/83 would mean the mold was created in 1978, the cast in 1983.
>
> Are there consistent rules that have been established for such notation?
> Are the rules different in Europe vs. the U.S. ?
>
> Any wisdom appreciated!
>
> Erin
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> **************
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