Wildenstein Index Number
Encyclopedia
A Wildenstein Index Number refers to an item in a numerical system published in catalogues by Daniel Wildenstein
, a scholar of Impressionism
, who published catalogues raisonnés
of artists such as Claude Monet
, Edouard Manet
and Paul Gauguin
through his family business, Wildenstein & Company. In these catalogues, each painting by an artist
was assigned a unique number. These index numbers are now used throughout the art world, in art texts, and on art websites to uniquely identify specific works of art
by specific artists.
An example is the (ISBN 3822885592), which is a four volume set published in 1996 with 2,580 illustrations in 1,540 pages. In this set, volume I is a biography
and volumes II-IV contain a chronological listing of Monet's work; that is to say, volume II contains Wildenstein Index #1 produced in 1858
through #968 produced in 1885
. The catalogue is produced with text in French
, English
, and German
. The original version of this set was a five-volume black-and-white edition that has become collectible
at costs of approximately U.S.$10,000 because it was originally only available to large museum
s or major universities' art department. The original black-and-white version was published in 1974 in four volumes and had a 1991 supplementary volume of additional paintings as well as drawings and pastels. The 1996 revised edition in multiple languages does not include pastels, drawings, letters or footnotes from the original edition. Thus, the original is the most valuable resource for scholars. However, this gives the foundation an effective monopoly over deciding whether a work of art is a genuine Monet, or not. This has been called into question, as the Wildensteins are free to disregard the opinions of art experts and art historians worldwide if they so choose (as discussed in the BBC programme Fake or Fortune?
broadcast by the BBC
on 19 June 2011 referring to the painting ).
Although most of the catalogues are published with Daniel as the author, other members of the five-generation family business were also responsible for promulgating this numbering system. Daniel's father Georges Wildenstein published catalogues raisonnés for Jean-Honoré Fragonard
and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
in the 1960s. His son, Alec, has published a catalogue for Odilon Redon
.
Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer and scholar, as well as a leading thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder....
, a scholar of Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, who published catalogues raisonnés
Catalogue raisonné
The typical catalogue raisonné is a monograph giving a comprehensive catalogue of artworks by an artist.The essential elements of a catalogue raisonné are that it purports to be an exhaustive list of works for a defined subject matter describing the works in a way so that they may be reliably...
of artists such as Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, Edouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
and Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
through his family business, Wildenstein & Company. In these catalogues, each painting by an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
was assigned a unique number. These index numbers are now used throughout the art world, in art texts, and on art websites to uniquely identify specific works of art
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
by specific artists.
An example is the (ISBN 3822885592), which is a four volume set published in 1996 with 2,580 illustrations in 1,540 pages. In this set, volume I is a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
and volumes II-IV contain a chronological listing of Monet's work; that is to say, volume II contains Wildenstein Index #1 produced in 1858
1858 in art
-Works:*Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres - Self-Portrait at the Age of 78 *William Henry Fisk - The Secret*William Powell Frith - The Derby Day*Édouard Manet - The Boy with Cherries...
through #968 produced in 1885
1885 in art
-Events:*"Glasgow Boys" first exhibit collectively, at the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.-Works:* Thomas Eakins - The Swimming Hole.*Stanhope Forbes - .*Ellen Day Hale - Self Portrait * Juan Luna - Odalisque....
. The catalogue is produced with text in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. The original version of this set was a five-volume black-and-white edition that has become collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
at costs of approximately U.S.$10,000 because it was originally only available to large museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s or major universities' art department. The original black-and-white version was published in 1974 in four volumes and had a 1991 supplementary volume of additional paintings as well as drawings and pastels. The 1996 revised edition in multiple languages does not include pastels, drawings, letters or footnotes from the original edition. Thus, the original is the most valuable resource for scholars. However, this gives the foundation an effective monopoly over deciding whether a work of art is a genuine Monet, or not. This has been called into question, as the Wildensteins are free to disregard the opinions of art experts and art historians worldwide if they so choose (as discussed in the BBC programme Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune? is a 2011 BBC television series which examines the provenance of notable artworks. It is presented by journalist Fiona Bruce and art dealer and art historian Philip Mould.There are four episodes:...
broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 19 June 2011 referring to the painting ).
Although most of the catalogues are published with Daniel as the author, other members of the five-generation family business were also responsible for promulgating this numbering system. Daniel's father Georges Wildenstein published catalogues raisonnés for Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings , of which only five...
and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was an 18th-century French painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities...
in the 1960s. His son, Alec, has published a catalogue for Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon
Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon was a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist.-Life:...
.