Totteridge Gallery - Fine Art Dealers

Fine Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings, Etchings, Engravings & Prints
We Buy and Sell Fine Art * Art Valuations and Advice * Established 1985

Common Art Abbreviations

A guide to abbreviations commonly used when describing pictures.

a/f, a.f. - as found
attrib. - attributed to
ap or a/p - artist's proof
b/w - black and white
b. - born
bears sig. - bears signature
blk - black
br - brown
C - century
c., cir., circ. - circa
chk. - chalk
chl. - charcoal
cm. - centimetres
col - colour
c/w - comes with, complete with, coupled with, combined with
d. - dated
del., delt. - he (or she) drew it
dr - drawing
ed., edn. - edition of
est. - estimate
exec. - executed
Exh., exhib. - exhibited
f. - foundry
fl., floruit - flourished
gs. - guineas
htd - heightened
i. - inscribed
indis - indistinct

inits. - initials
in. or ins. - inch or inches
jnr. - junior
lit. - literature
mono. - monogram
n.d., N.D. - no date, not dated
n.p., N.P. - no publisher
num. - number
o/c - oil on canvas
pat - patina
pinx., pxt., pinxt., pinxit - he (or she) painted it
prov. - provenance
pp - printer's proof
/R - illustrated in sale catalogue
rec. - rectangular
rem. - remains of
s. - signed
sc., sct., sculp., sculpt - he (or she) engraved or carved it
sig. - signature
snr. - senior
s/n - signed and numbered
st. - stamped
verso - reverse side or back of picture
w/c - watercolour
? - unknown dimensions, date or nationality, or illegible initial/s or letter/s

TOTTERIDGE GALLERY
74 High Street, Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2QX
Telephone: 01787 220 075 Internet: www.totteridgegallery.com

Fine Art Trade Guild