Review

...a directory of signatures and monograms of 2,100 European artists for readers wishing to identify, authenticate, or verify them or works. Listed alphabetically, signatures are from 1800 on and include monograms and initials, common and alternative surname signatures, symbols, Cyrillic signatures, and illegible signatures. Only a small number of those in this volume are listed in the original volume, European Artists Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1990. Some Australian and Asian artists are included. Signatures are drawn from a number of reference sources, which are listed along with the signatures, and birth and death dates and ethnicity of the artist. (Reference & Research Book News )

Product Description

John Castagno's Artists' Signatures and Monograms have become the standard reference source for galleries, museums, libraries, and collectors around the world. Whether used to identify, authenticate, or verify signatures and works of both well-known and little-known artists, Castagno's work has no equal.

In the first volume of European Artists Signatures and Monograms, 1800-1990 (Scarecrow, 1990), Castagno provided identification for more than 4,800 artists' signatures, along with biographical information and reference sources. This second volume on European artists is a continuation of the identification of artists' signatures, with some 2,100 artists and 3,000 signature examples. In addition to the standard signature entries, the book features sections for monograms and initials, common surname signatures, alternative surname signatures, symbols, Cyrillic Signatures, and illegible signatures. Less than five percent of the entries in this volume are listed in the original volume—and these are included to provide additional information about the artists.

The use of European Artists II: Signatures and Monograms From 1800 provides the researcher a reference tool not duplicated elsewhere—one that will save many hours of research.