Old Master prints exist in multiple states — successive versions of the printing plate, each producing impressions with subtle and sometimes dramatic differences. State identification is fundamental to the scholarly study of prints, to attribution within the catalogue raisonné tradition, and to market valuation. This article presents a practical methodology for state identification, drawn from established cataloguing conventions and the visual comparison practices of major institutional print collections.
The concept of state
A state is a documented condition of the printing plate at a particular point in its working history. The plate may be modified between states — additional lines added, areas re-engraved or re-etched, lettering added or removed. Each state produces impressions distinct from those of other states, identifiable by the modifications visible in the print.
For an artist who continued to work on a plate over months or years (Rembrandt is the canonical example), a single image may exist in many states, each scholarly significant. For artists who completed plates in fewer working sessions, states may be limited to two or three. The number of states is established by the catalogue raisonné for each individual work.
Why state matters
Attribution and authorship
Where multiple states exist, the early states are typically (though not always) those most closely associated with the artist's autograph activity. Later states may have been worked by assistants, by subsequent owners of the plate, or by professional restrikers decades or centuries after the artist's death. Identifying the state correctly is essential to identifying what kind of impression one is examining.
Market value
Earlier states command substantial price premiums over later states for most major Old Master prints. The reasons combine scarcity (early states exist in fewer impressions), proximity to the artist's creative process, and printing quality (early impressions tend to show stronger plate tone and richer lines before the plate began to wear). Misidentified state can produce price discrepancies of 5-50× or more.
Print history understanding
State sequences document the creative process. The progression from early state to late state often reveals the artist's working methods, intentions, and revisions. State analysis is a window into how the work was actually made.
Practical identification methodology
Step 1: Identify the work and consult the catalogue raisonné
Before examining state, establish what the work is. Match the print against the catalogue raisonné entry for the artist. The standard catalogues (Bartsch, Hollstein for northern European; Robert-Dumesnil for French; specific monographic catalogues for individual artists) provide the canonical numbering and state descriptions.
Step 2: Locate the state-distinguishing features
The catalogue raisonné entry will describe the features that distinguish each state. These typically include:
- Lettering added or removed (artist signature, publisher's address, dedication, title)
- Specific lines added or removed in identifiable areas of the composition
- Re-engraving of areas worn from earlier printing
- Cracks or other plate damage that progress through the printing history
Step 3: Examine the impression carefully
Direct visual examination is essential. Compare the impression against published reproductions of each known state, attending specifically to the state-distinguishing features. Loupe magnification is often required for the small lines that distinguish states.
Step 4: Assess plate condition independently
Plate wear progresses through the printing history. Early impressions show crisp, dark lines with strong contrast. Later impressions from worn plates show lighter, sometimes irregular lines. Plate condition is independent evidence about whether an impression is early or late within its state, and whether it may be a posthumous restrike.
Step 5: Examine paper and watermark
Paper and watermark analysis can establish or refute period of impression. Period papers used by the artist's contemporary printers differ from later papers in fiber, sizing, and watermark designs. Catalogues of historical paper (Briquet for early European; Heawood for British) document datable watermarks. A 19th-century watermark on a "first state" Rembrandt is conclusive evidence of restrike, regardless of state-distinguishing features.
Common identification errors
Confusing state with strike quality
A weak impression of an early state and a strong impression of a later state can superficially resemble each other. State is determined by plate modifications; strike quality is determined by inking, paper, and printer skill. The two questions must be addressed separately.
Restrike misidentification
Many Old Master plates passed into the hands of dealers and publishers after the artist's death and were restruck for the market over generations. Restrikes can be excellent in quality and bear the same state characteristics as period impressions. Distinguishing them requires paper analysis, plate condition assessment, and ideally institutional or expert verification.
Reproducing prints sold as originals
Photo-mechanical reproductions of Old Master prints have been produced since the 19th century in formats designed to resemble originals. Identification typically requires examination at magnification (where the dot pattern of mechanical reproduction is visible) and plate-mark assessment (where genuine etchings show the impressed plate edge that reproductions lack).
Institutional resources
For serious print study, institutional collections with online catalogues now make comparative state research dramatically more accessible than it was a generation ago. The British Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Albertina, the Metropolitan Museum, and the National Gallery of Art (Washington) all provide high-resolution images of impressions in their collections, with state attributions where established. Comparative examination across multiple institutional impressions is now possible from a desk in ways that previously required extensive travel.
The role of expert verification
For impressions of significant value, scholarly or commercial expert verification is appropriate. The major auction houses maintain print specialists capable of state identification on the works they handle. Independent print scholars provide additional verification for collectors and researchers. The cost of expert verification on a meaningful print is modest relative to the value differences that state identification produces.
Source notes
Methodology drawn from the published cataloguing standards of the British Museum Print Room, the Rijksmuseum, and the published guidelines for the Hollstein catalogue raisonné series. Specific examples of state identification practice based on the Rembrandt and Dürer scholarship literature 2000-2024.
