Glossary · Collecting

Attribution qualifier

Wording that expresses the strength or scope of an authorship claim.

Explanation

An attribution qualifier is part of the claim, not decorative wording. ‘Attributed to’ does not mean documented manufacture by that person. A museum may identify a designer while qualifying the decorator, as in Cleveland's Martinot egg-watch record. Transcribe the role and qualifier together, identify the source and record when it was consulted. A later reassessment can change the attribution without changing the object. See the exact catalogue rather than assigning a universal confidence percentage to such language.

Diagram

Schematic: case construction. General watch structure only; authorship requires documentary evidence, not a schematic.

Photographic reference

Engraved Egg Watch, 1590–1600 — Cleveland 1929.994 — The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John L. Severance, CC0 — Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access. Cleveland Museum of Art catalogue

Cleveland's egg watch distinguishes design by Denis Martinot from decoration attributed to Theodor de Bry. The qualifier is part of the catalogue claim.

Cross-references

Nearby collecting terms

Albert chain: A watch chain worn across the waistcoat with a T-bar through a buttonhole.
Ascribed date: A date assigned by evidence rather than a record.
Attribution: Assigning an object to a maker or workshop.
Auction estimate: A pre-sale price range published by an auction house, not a guarantee of the eventual hammer price.
Box and papers: The original packaging and documentation accompanying a watch at sale.
Case knife: A thin-bladed tool for opening snap backs and bezels.