The typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph

Monograph

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...

 giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks

Visual arts

The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...

 by an artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

.

The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably identified by third parties.

Purports to be an exhaustive list

The term "catalogue raisonné" has been given a loose interpretation in the past but it has always meant a complete listing.

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines "catalogue" as

1. a list, register or complete enumeration (emphasis added),
2. now usually distinguished from a mere list (emphasis added) or enumeration by systematic or methodical arrangement…..

The author of a catalogue raisonné presumes to have catalogued a complete list and then publishes the catalogue. The difficulty is in knowing when an author can ever be confident that the list is complete i.e. the concern that an undiscovered work remains to be found. In reality it is typical for works to show up after the publication of the catalogue resulting in new editions or completely new compilations by other authors. In other cases research shows that some works have been wrongly attributed to the artist in earlier catalogues.

Rembrandt, an example of catalogues being modified

There are about 20 catalogues purporting to list Rembrandt’s complete etchings; each one building on the other, in some cases adding etchings, in others removing etchings and in others adding different states of the etchings. The important catalogues being:

• 1751; The first significant catalogue was by the Paris art auctioneer, Edme-François Gersaint.

• 1797; The Vienna curator, Adam Bartsch
  Adam Bartsch
  Johann Adam Bernhard von Bartsch was an Austrian scholar and artist. His catalogue of Old master prints is the foundation of the Art History of printmaking, and he was himself a printmaker in engraving and etching....
  
  , brought out a new edition that became the classic reference BUT 89 of the 375 Bartsch entries are no longer believed to be prints by Rembrandt.

• 1895 + 1922; Woldemar von Seidlitz
  Woldemar von Seidlitz
  Woldemar von Seidlitz was a Russia-born German art historian.- Literary works :* Allgemeines historisches Porträtwerk, 6 vols., 1884–1890* Rembrandts Radierungen, 1894...
  
  , Die Radierungen Rembrandts: Mit Einem Kritischern Verzeichnis Und Abbildung Samtlicher Radierungen; publisher: Leipzig: E. A. Seemann Verlag, 1922, Leipzig - Seidlitz added 3 prints not in Bartsch but now believed to be by Rembrandt.

• 1912 + 1923; Hind, Arthur Mayger, A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings; chronologically arranged and completely illustrated, 2 vols, London, Methuen & Co Ltd.

• 1969; White, Christopher; Boon, Karel G, Rembrandt's Etchings: An Illustrated Critical Catalogue, 2 vols, Amsterdam, Van Gendt & Co, added more illustrations of the different states but continued to use the Bartsch numbering system where applicable.

Defined subject matter

The subject matter covered by a catalogue raisonné is always defined with the parameters set by the author. The parameters are often just two:

1. all the works of
2. one artist.

However there are many variations, both broader and narrower than "all the works" or "one artist". The parameters could be restricted to one type of art work by one artist or it could be widened to all the works by a group of artists.

One artist?

While the typical catalogue raisonné is devoted to the works of one artist, the author could widen the parameters to include a group of artists.

An example of all the works of a group of artists is:

A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters by John Smith; published by Smith & Son, London in 9 volumes 1829-1842 also seen in an Elibron Classics facsimile reprint published by Adamant Media Corporation (February 9, 2001) of the 1836 edition.

But for a modern example of multiple artists that is nearly as vague, see a catalogue of the principal artists of The Grosvenor School of Modern Art

Grosvenor School Of Modern Art

Situated at 33 Warwick Square in Pimlico, London,The Grosvenor School of Modern Art was a British Art School founded by the printmakers and linocut artists Claude Flight, Iain McNab, Cyril Edward Power and Sybil Andrews in 1925....

 from the 1920s and 30s.

Linocuts of the Machine Age: Claude Flight and the Grosvenor School; by Stephen Coppel, Publisher: Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1995. This book purports to be a complete listing (over 380) of the linocuts done by seven of the artists of the Grosvenor School.

In rare cases "catalogue raisonné" is not even used to refer to art or an artist but is used to catalogue an institutional collection e.g. in what purports to be a definitive book on the Jewish Museum's Hanukkah Lamp collection see:
Braunstein, Susan L, Five Centuries of Hanukkah Lamps From the Jewish Museum: A Catalogue Raisonné, Publisher: The Jewish Museum (New York)

Jewish Museum (New York)

The Jewish Museum of New York, an art museum and repository of cultural artifacts, is the leading Jewish museum in the United States. With over 26,000 objects, it contains the largest collection of art and Jewish culture outside of museums in Israel. The museum is housed at 1109 Fifth Avenue, in...

 under the auspices of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...

 and Yale University Press

Yale University Press

Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....

 New Haven, New York; 2004

Medium

Most artists work in various media, e.g. oils, water colors, sculpture, etc. In some cases the author of the catalogue raisonné restricts the catalogue to works in just one medium by the artist.

Picasso: an example of one artist and some of his different mediums, each medium with its own catalogue raisonné:

• Picasso's illustrated books
  • Goeppert, Sebastian, Herma Corinna Goeppert-Frank, Patrick Cramer. Pablo Picasso. The Illustrated Books: Catalogue raisonné. Publisher: Patrick Cramer. Geneva. 1983
• Picasso's engravings and monotypes for different time periods
  • Geiser, Bernhard, Alfred Scheidegger. Picasso peintre-graveur, II: catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre gravé et des monotypes 1932–1934 (Bern: Kornfeld und Klipstein, 1968).
  • Baer, Brigitte. Picasso, peintre-graveur, III-VII and addendum, catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre gravé et des monotypes, 1935–1972. (Berne: Editions Kornfeld, 1933–1996).

• Picasso's sculptures
  • Spies, Werner. Picasso; The Sculptures - With Catalogue Raisonné; Publisher: Hatje Cantz 2000

Time periods

Sometimes only a certain period of the artist's life is covered as set out below for Jim Dine

Jim Dine

Jim Dine is an American pop artist. He is sometimes considered to be a part of the Neo-Dada movement. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended Walnut Hills High School, the University of Cincinnati, and received a BFA from Ohio University in 1957. He first earned respect in the art world with...

.

Combinations

For an example where the parameters are limited to:

• one medium (prints),
• for different time periods,
• for one artist (Jim Dine
  Jim Dine
  Jim Dine is an American pop artist. He is sometimes considered to be a part of the Neo-Dada movement. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended Walnut Hills High School, the University of Cincinnati, and received a BFA from Ohio University in 1957. He first earned respect in the art world with...
  
  ) see:
  • Jim Dine Prints: 1970-1977; Williamstown, MA. Williams College. Catalog by Thomas Krens with additional text by Riva Castleman; Publisher: Williams College / Harper & Row 1977
  • Jim Dine Prints: 1977-1985; A Catalogue Raisonné; Ellen G. D'Oench; Jean E. Feinberg; Publisher: Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1986
  • Jim Dine Prints: 1985-2000; A Catalogue Raisonné; Carpenter, Elizabeth; Ruzicka, Joseph; Campbell, Richard; Publisher: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2002

Describing the works so they may be identified

Collectors, buyers, sellers, museum curators, art dealers, art appraisers, and others will often make reference to a particular artwork that is in a museum collection, was in a past auction, was the subject of a journal article, etc. They may then compare that piece of art to another that they are considering.

The concern is to ensure that everyone is talking about the same piece of art.

The problem is:

• in some cases artists don't even give a title to all their artworks - which "Untitled" work is being referenced?
• in some cases artists use the same title for more than one artwork - which "Head of a Woman" is being referenced?
• in some cases one piece of art is given different titles at different times - two people could be looking at different titles without knowing that they are discussing the same piece.

The catalogue raisonné is required to ensure all parties are in agreement as to which piece they are discussing.
- need to describe reference #
- incomplete

Expected contents of a catalogue raisonné

Scholarship has become more exacting since the late 1800s and more information is being included. In more recent usage a catalogue raisonné ideally provides the following for every work discussed:

• Title
• Images
• Medium i.e. oil, watercolor, etching, etc.
• Dimensions - for works on paper the dimensions may include image size, plate size where applicable, and paper size.
• For prints, a description of the various states (i.e. each time the artist modified the matrix from which the print was made) and a description of each edition of the various states.
• A discussion of related works (where applicable) by the same or other artists and in some cases a commentary by a curator as to what the artist is exploring in the work.
• Provenance (the names of former owners, dealers who were involved in the sale of the piece, and shows where the piece has been exhibited.) This may give some credibility to the authenticity of the work.
• List of the literature ("literaturverzeichnis") that discusses the work
• Condition reports. This only applies to unique items such as oils or watercolors. With multiples (e.g. prints, some cast works, etc.) the condition would not be reported unless the pieces were of extreme scarcity.

In addition, the catalogue often contains:

• An introductory essay discussion of the artist's life (generally shorter than a whole monograph on the artist)
• Disputed, questionable and spurious works
• Example signatures
• Indices, listing each work:
  • By its current location (city/museum)
  • By its previous owners
  • By the scholars who have commented on it

Because artwork can be widely distributed, and some owners may not wish for high-quality images to be made available, some photographic reproductions of works may be only in black and white and/or small in size. Works since destroyed may exist only as old photographs or prints.

Grammatical and linguistic matters

The term catalogue raisonné is French, meaning "reasoned catalogue" (i.e., containing arguments for the information given, such as attributions.)

American spelling

Catalogue raisonné has wide usage in English and is part of the technical terminology

Technical terminology

Technical terminology is the specialized vocabulary of any field, not just technical fields. The same is true of the synonyms technical terms, terms of art, shop talk and words of art, which do not necessarily refer to technology or art...

used primarily in the art world. Accordingly, the spelling is never Americanized to "catalog", even in the United States.

• a book search on Amazon.com conducted August 15, 2009 using the French spelling "catalogue raisonné" resulted in 10,115 hits. The same search using the American "catalog" resulted in 2,997 hits HOWEVER it would appear that the book dealers using "catalog" misspelled the actual title of the book - in those cases where the dealer input "catalog" and included a picture of the cover, the cover showed the French spelling being used.

Plural usage - catalogues raisonnés

"Catalogue raisonné" is a compound noun, which can cause confusion when users attempt to pluralize it.

The most common variations of the plural form are:

• "catalogues raisonné" 17,300 hits
• "catalogue raisonnés" 23,600 hits
• "catalogues raisonnés" 90,400 hits

Catalogues raisonné - wrong

As set out in The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer, when the compound is made up of a noun and a preposition, a noun and a prepositional phrase, or a noun and an adjective, the noun is usually pluralized such as is in "mothers-in-law", "commanders in chief" and "works of art".

This would suggest that the plural form is "catalogues raisonné". However, this is incorrect.

Catalogue raisonnés - wrong

The common thinking is that one should just add an "s" at the very end to create the plural.

This would suggest that the plural form is "catalogue raisonnés". However, this is incorrect.

Catalogues raisonnés - correct

"Catalogue raisonné" is French and even though it is used in English, the French pluralization is required.

• The online Merriam Webster Dictionary sets out the plural form as "catalogues raisonnés".
• This is also the plural form used by The Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association

Other language equivalents

• Spanish usage: "Catalogo Razonado"

e.g. Remedios Varo: Catalogo Razonado/Catalogue Raisonne by Ovalle, R., Gruen, W., et al. 4th Revised edition; Publisher: Mexico: Ediciones Era, 2008. Featuring the complete works of Remedios Varo.

• Italian usage: "L'Opera completa"

e.g. "L'Opera completa di Cezanne" by Gatto, Alfonso and Sara Orienti Publisher: Milano (Milan): Rizzoli, 1979 A Catalogue raisonné of the paintings. 838 items described and illustrated.

In some cases it may be shortened to "L'Opera" e.g. L'Opera Pittorica Di Edouard Manet by Venturi, Marcello Publisher: Rizzoli, Milan 1967. Catalogue raisonné. 64 pp of colour plates, 520 b&w illustrations.

• German usage: "Oeuvre-Katalog" or "Werkverzeichnis"

e.g. "Max Ernst: Oeuvre-Katalog, 1906-1963. the Complete Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture, Frottages, Collages and Graphics" by Spies, Werner, S. & G. Metken and Helmut Leppien. Publisher: Menil / Wittenborn 1975 Catalogue raisonné. Text in English, German and French. Catalogue descriptions in German with English language glossary

e.g. "Kurt Kocherscheidt. Werkverzeichnis: Malerei und Holzarbeiten (Catalogue Raisonné: Paintings and Wood Sculptures) 1966–1992"; by Morat, Franz Armin; Pub: Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft 2006

Hard copy

Examples of catalogues raisonné in book form have been around for centuries (see Rembrandt example above.)

Benefits of hard copy

There are many reasons to prefer hard copy books, including:

• Some catalogues raisonnés are fine press books and are appreciated as objects in and of themselves.
• If the power goes off – one can still read a book.
• In remote areas one can still read a book but may not be able to get internet access.
• Users who lack computer skills find the Internet inaccessible.
• The real benefit of the book form tends towards the intangible i.e. the preference many people have in reading from a physical object vs a computer screen.

Problems with hard copy

• By its nature a catalogue purports to be exhaustive so an author is reluctant to publish a book without being confident that all works have been found and all research has been done. For this reason books can take years to publish.
• Books are immutable and once printed cannot be modified i.e. they have to be reprinted.
• Many catalogues raisonnés have errors and often have to be updated when missed information is discovered e.g. see Rembrandt examples above.
• By their nature catalogues raisonnés are published in small print runs, are frequently out-of-print and unavailable.
• Images, especially in color or high definition, are expensive to print hence many catalogues lack quality images for each work and, in the case of prints, lack images for all of the states or variations of the print.
• Catalogues tend to be expensive for the reasons set out above
• Time required and the expense involved means comprehensive catalogues are more often done for famous artists. As a result regional artists are less represented.
• The ability to search a book for a specific piece of information is limited to the quality of the indexing.

On-line catalogues raisonnés

Book form catalogues raisonné have been around for centuries while the on-line catalogue raisonné is a recent introduction. Until scholars have had more time to reflect, any comments must be viewed with caution.

• By its nature, an on-line resource can constantly change (i.e. add and delete data) and the dynamic data driven result page reflects the changes.
• It is suggested here that the essential difference between a hard copy vs. an on-line catalogue raisonné is that the on-line catalogue is an evolving resource with the goal to become exhaustive.

Benefits of an on-line catalogue raisonné

• A few art works by an artist can be posted on the web while additional pieces, information or images can be added to the site as such become available.
• If an error or omission is noted it can be rectified instantly.
• High quality images are not a problem given the reduced costs of storage, etc.
• Allows a catalogue to develop (and be seen) early on and then be added to and modified as information comes to light.
• The contributor to an online catalogue can solicit a wider population and have a better chance of gathering information and images.
• Online catalogues do not go out of print.

Recommended books

• Art Books: A Basic Bibliography of Monographs on Artists (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) by W. Freitag; Publisher: Routledge; Second Edition (April 1, 1997)

• Judging the Authenticity of Prints by The Masters: A Primer for Collectors by David Rudd Cycleback

General links

• The Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association
• Collector's Corner: The Catalogue Raisonne: Identifying Fine-Art Prints

Databases for hard copy editions

• The International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)
• The Print Council of America on-line database of Catalogues Raisonné for prints

On-line projects

• Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné for some of their more well known artists, in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art
• Artistarchive.com, a public service site to create on-line catalogues
• Raisonne.org, A catalogue site sponsored by a commercial gallery, Childs Gallery
• Online Picasso-Project