# Attributed To, Studio Of, Circle Of: What the Catalogue Actually Means > Each rung of the attribution ladder is defined in the houses' own published wording, and the authenticity warranty stops dead at the top one. The definitions do not fully agree. > The Study - 2026-08-02 > Canonical HTML: https://iconotheca.com/study/attributed-to-studio-of-circle-of-what-they-mean/ ## Key points - Christie's warranty covers only the uppercase Heading, and expressly does not apply to any qualified heading such as 'Attributed to'. - Christie's and Sotheby's give five years; Bonhams gives one year from the sale to notify a forgery. - The houses do not define the rungs identically: Christie's studio pictures are possibly supervised by the artist, Sotheby's are by an unknown hand who may or may not have been directed. - A picture catalogued as Circle of Rembrandt at GBP 15,000 to 20,000 realised GBP 137,000 with premium and was later accepted as autograph. ## The ladder is published, and the houses wrote it themselves ## The definitions do not agree, and the differences are substantive ## The warranty stops at the top rung, and one house gives a fifth of the time ## The price falls where the claim stops being about a person ## The ladder moves in both directions, with figures attached ## How to read a heading in practice Read the ladder as a warranty schedule rather than a set of synonyms. Each rung is the house stating, in wording it drafted and published, exactly how much of the artist it is prepared to stand behind, and the promise ends the moment a qualifier appears in the heading. Below that line the bidder is buying an opinion, with the house's own conditions saying so in advance, and the thirty-odd Cardsharps that passed through the salerooms between 1988 and 2012 are what the bottom of the ladder looks like when nobody has looked hard. ## Questions **Is 'attributed to' good or bad?** It is a defined commercial position rather than a verdict. Christie's means probably a work by the artist in whole or in part; Sotheby's adds that there are serious grounds to believe it is by the artist's hand. At both houses it is a qualified heading, so the authenticity warranty does not cover it. **Does 'studio of' mean the artist never touched it?** The houses differ. Christie's says a work executed in the studio, possibly under his supervision. Sotheby's and Bonhams say a work by an unknown hand which may or may not have been executed under the artist's direction. Neither quantifies the master's involvement, which is why the term is contested so often. **How long does an authenticity guarantee last?** Christie's gives five years from the date of the auction, and Sotheby's five years from the auction date under its counterfeit guarantee. Bonhams requires written notice within one year after the sale. The period is a term of business, not an industry standard, and should be checked in the actual conditions. **Can an attribution be reversed after a sale?** Yes, in either direction, and the warranties anticipate it. Christie's excludes cases where scholarship has developed since the auction leading to a change in generally accepted opinion, and Sotheby's rejects claims where the catalogue accorded with generally accepted scholarly opinion at the date of sale. ## Sources - [1] Christie's, Conditions of Sale, New York, 19 October 2023, 'Important Notices and Explanation of Cataloguing Practice' and clause 2, Our Authenticity Warranty. - [2] Christie's, Conditions of Sale, Hong Kong, 8 February 2022, sections A1 and A3 on opinion and condition. - [3] Sotheby's, 'Guide for Buyers: Glossary and Important Notices', Glossary of Terms, Paintings. - [4] Sotheby's, Conditions of Business for Buyers, London, condition 15, Authenticity Guarantee. - [5] Bonhams, Old Master Paintings catalogue, sale C-28250, 9 June 2023, section 21 Pictures and clause 9 Forgeries. - [6] Christie's, lot record for Circle of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Portrait of a gentleman, Old Masters Day Sale, London, 9 December 2016, lot 122. - [7] Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, museum-digital object record for The Man with the Golden Helmet, Gemaldegalerie inv. 811A, recording the 1986 withdrawal of the attribution. - [8] Thwaytes v Sotheby's [2015] EWHC 36 (Ch), Mrs Justice Rose, 16 January 2015, full judgment. - [9] National Gallery of Art, Washington, 'Notes to the User', giving a museum's parallel ladder of attribution qualifications.