“Rare antique silver vase by famous maker” is a lot title that sounds good, but the statement contains claims the evidence provided does not support. How do you know the vase is rare? How do you know it is old? Is it solid silver or just silver plated? Can you identify the maker from a clearly legible mark? A lot title should help identify and find a lot, not convince people of questionable claims. Good cataloging writing starts with the facts, what can you see, measure, photograph, and verify from reliable documentation?
Take any object and write the title using only verifiable information. A good working title might be “Blue Glazed Ceramic Table Vase, 28 cm” or “Silver-Plated Serving Tray with Engraved Border.” Cover the lot and read back the title. Can you identify the item? Did you pick out one or two unique features? Would the title be easy to read in a catalog listing? If you are using any of these words, rare, important, authentic, original, valuable, museum-quality, you should be able to support such a claim, and it should be appropriate for your auction house’s rules for cataloging.
Place the details that will help identify the lot in an appropriate order. Start with the type of object and follow with the identifying information. It might be material, color, form, maker, period, pattern, or measurements. You don’t need to include everything in a title. “Pair of Oak Bedside Cabinets” is a better title than “Wonderful Vintage Furniture Set” because it tells the number of items, material, and type of object. You can also include measurements to help give the correct sense of scale when it is difficult to tell from the photograph, but other details such as those concerning the condition are best recorded for the full catalog description or for the condition report and not the title.
Titles involving attribution require especially close examination. “Painting by Elena Morozova” says the painting is by Elena Morozova, while “Attributed to Elena Morozova,” “School of Elena Morozova,” and “In the manner of Elena Morozova” indicate different levels of attribution certainty. You should not select such attributions solely because they improve the saleability of a lot. Consider any available signatures, labels, provenance documentation, certificates of authenticity, and expert opinion, before you decide whether to name the maker or artist. When your information is incomplete, a neutral title such as “Signed Landscape Painting in Gilt Frame” will serve better than turning a partially legible signature into a statement of fact.
Catalogers sometimes begin by including all the condition details in the title. This results in lengthy and hard-to-read catalog entries such as “Old Wooden Chair with Scratches, Loose Joint, Worn Seat, and Possible Repair,” but “Carved Wooden Side Chair with Upholstered Seat” will be a better title. Note the scratches, loose joint, wear, and repair in a condition note. You will have the added advantage of keeping the catalog easier to use while still giving all the information required for proper catalog review and bid decisions.
Before accepting the title as final, check every word against the object, photographs, measurements, and documents provided. Keep words that will identify the lot. Move specific condition information to the condition report. Use qualifying language for uncertain attributions. Remove marketing claims you cannot support. A lot title need not make an object extraordinary; rather, it needs to unmistakably identify the correct object.