Interpreting Printed Inscriptions on Prints

Prints may include printed inscriptions, often abbreviations of Latin terms indicating printmaker, artist (who conceived the design, after which the print was made), and publisher. Customarily the name of the printmaker appears in the lower right corner of the print; the artist, in the lower left corner.

“Words Below the Image: What They Say,” in Bamber Gascoigne, How to Identify Prints, A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Ink Jet. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1986, pages 48 a,b,c. Print Collection Desk MDI 87-2309

“Abbreviations and Lettering,” in Antony Griffiths, Prints and Printmaking: An Introduction to the History and Techniques, London: British Museum Publications, 1980; 2^nd edition, 1996, p. 133. MDB 87-576.

“Terms and Abbreviations found on Prints,” in A. Hyatt Mayor, Prints & People: A Social History of Printed Pictures. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1971. MDB 72-325; Print Room Desk 73-55; also in General Research Division 3-MDB 89-16291.

Delteil. Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustré. Paris: chez l’auteur, 1906-. Volumes 1-31. Desk MDD+ Delteil; reprint, Le peintre-graveur illustré; the graphic work of nineteenth and twentieth century artists, and illustrated catalog. New York: Collectors Editions, Ltd. Da Capo Press, 1969. MDD+ Delteil. Illustrated; vol. 32 includes an extensive glossary in four languages (French-English-German-Spanish).