How Do Auction Houses Check You Own A Piece Of Art?

[muvva77]

I am a writer and I am struggling with a plot point. I want to know how major auction houses check someone is the real owner of a painting before it goes on sale. Particularly if someone says they were given a painting or inherited it, so there is no paper trail.

Thank you!

[2sp_]

Is there not a register of stolen art work that they could check?

(I'm guessing this, based on something I think I heard/read yonks ago...)

[EcclesCake]

If it is inherited there would be a paper trail, be it the will or probate valuation.

A gift would be much harder to prove.

[FredPuli43]

They don't. I have never been asked to prove ownership of any lot at any auction house, from Sotheby's down. The true owner has some protection in that, even if the work is stolen and sold on, they are still the owner, whoever "buys" it. The old rules about market overt and the like are long gone.

[atalanta]

The police circulate lists of stolen goods to possible outlets like antique dealers. Dealers are supposed to check any stuff they are offered against these lists. But the fact that something does not appear in these lists does not mean it has not been stolen. I imagine that the more the auctioneers think the goods are worth, the more effort they will make to check provenance.

[Khandro]

The key word is 'Provenance', call it the paper trail if you like, but with it the article has a higher value on the market than without it. If it was inherited, it should be possible to retrieve relevant facts from a will. The onus is on the seller to provide accurate information, not the auction house.

[DTCwordfan]

insurance will testify if it is valuable - i.e. above £5k, it has to be nominated on the policy - also is it on the Police Art Register or whatever they call it - it links through to Interpol....(helps prevent stolen art) - my mater had a piece recovered that way....

[Khandro]

Also take a look at www.smartwater.com

[Peter Pedant]

They have the stolen art register
and also the recent sales registers so that they know the value

they may ask questions

I took in something I bought at the Duke of Windsors sale and it was assumed I had stolen it for some reason. Then they said it hadnt been in the sale [it had] and then they lost the objaaaaay, by passing it between depts without a paper trail. I didnt sell. I couldnt believe how goofy they were about objaaaaze worth five figures er in my opinion of course. The 17 1/2 year old detailed to deal with me (well one of them) echoed "poor service ? wodger mean poor service ?" and I picked up the objet trouve (geddit) and walked out.

Koo...dear Koo, ( ex bankrupt) who went into the ex boy frenz' house and took the moonscape valued at £40k which she has just returned to him heading off the theft charge.....could have just walked into an auction house and just said - sell it !
and they would have said of course ma'amm, next old masters' sale and of course you realise there is a 10% sellers premium ?

and that would be that until the boyfriend said, its mine and not hers

[FredPuli43]

10 per cent buyer's premium? Blimey, that was a while back.It's 20 or 22.5 per cent now. Reckon on your bill being hammer (bid price) plus one third, to allow for VAT on the auctioneer's commission (buyer's premium) and, sometimes, on the hammer.

[FredPuli43]

And the seller's premium is also more than 10 per cent; it can be as high as 20.

[EDDIE51]

I'll stick to ebay then. I found an old painting in a skip and sold it on ebay for £25 , result !

[Khandro]

A result yes, but with expert advice you might have added a couple of noughts to that figure.