Hensler Fine Art
LIMITED EDITION NUMBERING
When an artist and publisher decide to create limited editions of an artist's works certain designations are used in the numbering of the edition. The following is a glossary of terms associated with this:
Publisher The publisher is the person or company responsible for the financing, marketing, representation to varying degrees of the artist, and go-between the artist and printmaker.
Limited editions Click here for an explanation under Printmaking.
Edition Size The edition size is the total of all proofs (every piece) printed. This includes the regular edition, BAT, trial proofs, roman numerals, museum pieces, artist proofs, printer's proofs, hors commerce and various other designations such as European edition and Asian edition. The "Total Edition" is another way of expressing all proofs printed.
Trial Proofs (TP) Trial proofs are done to check for color, registration, image size, and texture before pulling the full edition. These are usually destroyed upon approval of the of the BAT.
BAT (Bon a tirier) This is the trial proof that is used as the standard for the rest of the edition. (In French it means "good to pull".) It is the only one marked as BAT.
Artist Proofs (AP) The AP's are the pieces designated as owned by the artist. Quite often these pieces are given to the artist in lieu of a portion of the payment. They have no additional value than the regular edition; however, the myth still prevails that these are in someway different or special.
Printer's Proofs (PP) The PP's, like the artist proofs, are given to the printmaker in lieu of a portion of payment. Again, these pieces have no additional value.
Museum (M) Originally M's were given to museums to promote the artist's work. This isn't the case anymore.
Roman Numerals Originally, pieces numbered with roman numerals were sold outside the country of origin. This is no longer the case. In some cases, the roman numerals now may indicate an enhanced state of the image.
Hors Commerce (HC) Originally, HC's were not for sale, but for display only. Since the discovery of how to protect fine artwork has evolved, there hasn't been any need for this designation, but tradition prevails.
Regular Edition These pieces are numbered only. Originally, these were the pieces sold to the general public. As you can see from the above definitions, there really isn't any difference.
European Edition (EE) This designates a whole or part of an edition sold only in Europe. In some cases, there are as many of these pieces as the full edition in the United States with the same designators (i.e., AP, HC, M, etc.).
Asian Edition (AE) This designates a whole or part of an edition sold only in Asia. Again, the same case applies as the European Edition.
Other designations Quite often an artist or publisher will create another designation such as "Publisher's Proofs", etc. for any innumerable reasons. A Remarque is a piece that the artist has drawn or painted another image onto, most often, a border. IPM designates that the artist pulled the edition themselves.
Whatever the designations, it is important to ask for the total edition size. Certification either in the form of a certificate of tirage, or combined certificate of tirage and authenticity should be asked for, and provided by the seller.
A myth that has often prevailed with limited editions is the lower the number, the better the piece. This was true with dry point (see Printmaking), however, with all other printmaking techniques, the number does not (with the exception of the BAT) designate which pieces were pulled first.
