LEARN HOW TO AVOID FAKES and

BUY WOODBLOCK PRINTS LIKE A COLLECTOR.

Woodblock Signatures are Common not rare, Read Why!

  Here is the information as published by Mr. Albert Field in his book The Official Catalog Of The Works Of Salvador Dali. Quoting from page 191:

“After the printing of the book editions was complete, a boxed signature in color was printed within the image of each print (except two). The signatures by Dali on the original watercolors had included a date, but the plate signatures (which are also wood engravings) have had the date removed!             

It is not known how many plate-signed prints were made.

         Estrada sold to dealer’s sets of plates (signed only in the plate) in three slipcases with interior boards, all covered in plain cloth (red for Hell, purple for Purgatory, blue for Paradise). Each print is in an individual mat-sleeve water-marked “Les Heures Claires.” These sets cannot be considered complete without a tirage page.

In 1974 Dr. Jawdat Naffouj bought a GERMAN edition from Estrade for his gallery in Landstruhl, Germany. Although the edition was stated to be 1000, the edition size is not on the prints. He sold only 386 or so, but other dealers may have sold some. The prints are “woodblocks” with the correct watermarks in the paper. No prints are hand signed.”

 Taking the information given by Mr. Field it looks as though Estrada made up the German edition in 1974 from the unlimited plate-signed prints. The whole German suite maybe rare and collectable. The prints themselves are not, because they were pulled from unlimited boxed signed prints that were printed after the Italian and French editions, which are truly limited editions and have no boxed signature.

ALSO SINCE BLOCK SIGNATURE PRINTS WERE PRINTED AFTER THE FRENCH EDITION MORE PRESSURE WAS REQUIRED TO PRINT THEM, REQUIRING BACKING PAPER BECAUSE OF WORN WOODBLOCKS. READ BELOW MORE ABOUT BACKING PAPER.

The only way I know of for possible provenance is to have the original German Text with the print. A copy of the tirage means absolutely nothing. Because It’s a copy and copies are not the original.  C.O.A.’s must be from an independent Accredited Art Appraiser. C.O.A.’s from sellers are tainted because they are not from an accredited disinterested third party. 

DALI ART MART is PROUD TO OFFER INDIVIDUALLY CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC SALVADOR DALI FRENCH EDITION DIVINE COMEDY WOODBLOCK PRINTS. THESE PRINTS ARE NOT AUTHENTICATED BY JUST ANYBODY, THEY WERE AUTHENTICATED BY THE ONLY PERSON DALI PERSONALLY AUTHORIZED TO AUTHENTICATE AND ARCHIVE HIS WORKS the late MR. ALBERT FIELD. 

 FIELD AUTHENTICATED PRINTS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, WE ONLY HAD TWO SUITES OF DIVINE COMEDY INDIVIDUALLY AUTHENTICATED. MR. FIELD PERSONALLY SIGNED THE BACK OF EACH PRINT AND INCLUDED THE NUMBER FROM WHICH SUITE THEY CAME FROM. THIS IS CERTIFIES ITS PALCE IN AND AS A LIMITED EDITION PRINT FROM THE FRENCH EDITION OF DIVINE COMEDY. NO WHERE ELSE WILL YOU FIND FIELD AUTHENTICATED AND CERTIFIED LIMITED PRINTS LIKE THESE. PLUS BECAUSE EACH PRINT IS INDIVIDUALLY AUTHENTICATED YOU CAN REGISTER IT AND YOU AS THE OWNER IN “THE SALVADOR DALI ARCHIVES”.

HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE IN WOODBLOCK PRINTS.

NOT ALL PRINTS ARE ORIGINAL 40 YEAR OLD PRINTS.

HERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO TELL IF YOU HAVE OR ARE ABOUT TO BUY A 40 YEAR OLD DIVINE COMEDY PRINT.

      1.    ORIGINAL PRINTS HAVE CREAM COLORED PAPER. THE REPRODUCTIONS are on WHITE PAPER.

2.    ORIGINAL PRINTS HAVE ROUGH DECKEL EDGE ON BOTTOM OF PAPER; REPRODUCTIONS HAVE ROUGH DECKLE EDGE ON SIDE.

3.    ORIGINALS HAVE WATERMARK B F K RIVES IN SCRIPT, WATERMARK ON REPRODUCTIONS HAVE B F K RIVES IN BLOCK WITH FRANCE IN BLOCK BELOW. Only about half the prints have watermark.

     4.    Paper size for original prints is 10 1/4" x 13". Modern woodblock prints are 10" x 13"

     5.    REPRODUCTIONS DO NOT HAVE ALL THE COLORS THAT AN ORIGINAL HAS. * Poor quality reproduction, not the same craftsmanship as the originals. Use supersize to see the difference.    

THAT’S RIGHT REPRODUCTIONS ARE SOMETIMES PASSED OFF AS ORIGINALS.

WHY BUY AN INFERIOR REPRODUCTION WHEN ORIGINALS ARE AVAIABLE?

AVOID TROUBLE ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY!

If you have bought one of these reproductions and was told it was an original contact eBay. NOW!

*Check the difference in quality